28 Days of Ned and Cat Stark
by peculiarskye
Summary: 28 Days of Modern AU drabbles about my favorite couple in Game of Thrones. Series of unconnected drabbles. (loosely based about the happenings of the couples that I have observed around me.) Now a collection of drabbles.
1. February 1

_Great_

, Catelyn thought to herself as she glanced disdainfully at the heart-shaped decors hanging from the ceiling of the cafe. What's the big deal about Valentine's Day, anyway? It's just a day when flowers and chocolates are overpriced and hotels are fully-booked. It's just a regular day like every single day, so why bother celebrating it?

Catelyn's opinion about Valentine's Day changed when Ned, her classmate in one of her subjects, came to her today. He stuttered slightly but never broke eye contact with her when he asked, "C-can I take you out on Valentine's day for a dinner next week, my lady?"

From then on, she started looking forward for Valentine's Day.


	2. February 2

Ned was in distress. He sat in his dorm bed, waiting for his sister's, Lyanna's, reply. He's been dating Catelyn Tully for a few months now and with Valentine's Day fast approaching, he wanted to give her something special. The thing is, Ned is not an expert at giving presents to a girl, with the exception of his sister. Feeling hopeless, he asked his sister's advice as to what to give his girlfriend.

His phone buzzed from it's place at the study table and he literally jumped out of his bed and quickly unlocked his phone. His sister's reply was:

"Ned, Cat likes meaningful things. Why don't you give her something that reminds her of Riverrun? It's been a long time since she went home from studying at King's Landing, right? I think she would like something that would remind her of her home."

He grimaced at first before a memory struck him. It was a few months ago and they were on a date when he saw her eyeing a silver necklace with a small, silver fish as a pendant. The way Cat eyed the necklace with longing flashed in his mind.

He smiled and sent a thank you to his sister.


	3. February 3

Catelyn looked up at her husband's face as he slept, his arms around her while she laid her head on his chest. Ned's face is peaceful while he slept, so unlike when he's awake and facing his company papers or dealing with numerous problems of his company that was left by his dead father and brother. She helps him from time to time and he's obviously immensely greatful of the extra hand and the advices that she gave.

She looked at his face and was reminded of how lucky she is that she ended up with a guy like him.

She raised her left hand and looked at the gold ring with a single sapphire stone that sat in its middle that serves as her engagement ring and a simple gold band of a wedding ring. They were both not into extravagant things and Cat was thankful that he didn't give her anything flashy.

"It's late, my lady. Why are you still awake?"

She didn't even notice him stir. She looked up at him and Catelyn saw that he was smiling one of his rare smiles that he reserves only for her. She only smiled back and said, "I love you, Ned."

His smile widened, "I love you too, Cat."

A/N: Im alive guys!! im sorry i wasnt able to uodate my other story. my flash drive that contains the final chapters of it went missing and now im back to trying to remember how i went on with it. im so sorry but i may be able to update it next week. also, this fic was mostly drabbles shit that i have observed about the couples around me or to me.


	4. February 4

Ned: Catelyn.

Cat: Yes?

Ned: If aliens doesn't really exist, why do some stars look like they're moving?

Cat: Ned, it's 2:30 in the morning. Why are you texting me this? Were you not sleeping?

Ned: I can't sleep thinking about those aliens. They may be outside my window right now, Cat!

Cat: Gods be good.


	5. February 5

They were 5 and in kindergarten when Eddard Stark kissed Catelyn Tully in the cheek. When she asked him why he did that, his cheeks reddened slightly and he mumbled, "Because I think you're really pretty." She told their teacher that he stole a kiss from her and he was forced to apologize to her.

They were 15 when he asked her to dance with him at their school's annual Valentine's Day dance. Ned was holding out his hand and when she placed her hand against his, he bent down to kiss it. Catelyn asked him why he did that, he said with a small smile, "Because I think you look absolutely beautiful tonight. Not that you don't look beautiful every single day, my lady, but tonight, you took my breath away."They danced for the rest of the night.

They were 18 when Ned asked her to be his date for the prom. Catelyn accepted. They were dancing in the corner of the school gymnasium when Catelyn asked him why he wanted to be her prom date. Ned smiled his special smile for her and said, "Do you really need to ask that, Cat?" Then he kissed her full on the lips and she kissed back.

They were 27 when he asked her to marry him. Cat laughed, threw her arms around him and said, "Do you really need to ask that, Ned?"

They were 28 when Mr. Eddard Stark and Ms. Catelyn Tully became Mr. Mrs. Eddard and Catelyn Stark.


	6. February 6

Ned sat at the small table of his dorm late night, rubbing his temples with his fingers and trying to fight off the headache that was forming beneath it. He glanced at his digital clock and it read in its bright red light: 2:45. He supressed a groan of exhaustion. He glanced at his paper-filled table and had the urge to just burn it all; worksheets, ledgers and journals alike.

Ned has to pass this papers tomorrow (technically, later in the morning) and he can't seem to do the trial balance correctly, much less the mock financial statements needed for his Accounting 101 subject. He looked at the papers again helplessly, groaned and slammed his forehead at the table in frustration.

His movement must have awoken the current occupant of his bed because he heard the rustling of his sheets before a soft, tired voice spoke, "Ned? Are you okay?"

He raised his head, "Yeah. I'm fine, Cat. Go back to sleep," he replied with a slight sigh.

He heard more rustling before light footsteps began moving towards him. He looked at Catelyn and saw her looking over his shoulder, looking down critically at his papers. She had offered to help him with earlier but he had refused, knowing that she would also be tired because she just finished doing her plates for her architecture project.

She looked at his paper for a little while longer before she spoke, a hint of amusement creeping in her voice, "You do know that the liability account should be in credit side right?"

He looked at his papers again, "Uh, yeah. I totally know that."

"And the expenses should be in debit side?"

"Come on, Cat, of course I do!" He said, almost exasperatedly.

She giggled, "You've got it all mixed up, Ned. That's why they don't balance."

He looked at her again and saw her smiling at him.

"What would I do without you, Cat?" He said, relief evident in his voice.

She laughed and kissed him lightly, "What would I do without you? You helped me with those damned plate two days ago. Let me help you with this one."

He can't balance this abominations but at least he and Cat make a perfect balance with each other.

A/N: i hate accounting.


	7. February 7

"Ned, I think you're doing it wrong." Exasperated.

"Really, Cat? What makes you say that?" Sarcasm.

Sigh. "Ned, it's starting to look more like a misshapen little thing that could be used as a bullet for a catapult than a TV stand."

"... Remind me to never get something from Ikea again." Resigned.

Smirk. "Noted, my love."


	8. February 8

Something's wrong, Ned thought to himself as he looked at Catelyn, who barely touched her food and wine this evening.

Ned had saved up money so he can take her out on a nice dinner in one of the fancy restaurants here in King's Landing but instead of eating the delicious foie gras that they had both ordered, she just pushed her food around her plate, just taking a few bites. The wine was good too, expensive Arbor Gold, but she didn't even spare it a glance.

Ned cannot contain himself anymore and he reached across the table to hold her cold hand, "Is everything alright, my love?"

She looked up at him, surprised, "I'm fine, Ned," she replied. Ned may choose to ignore it but he cannot deny to himself that her voice was laced with a hint of fear.

He squeezed her hand lightly, "Are you sure?"

She gave him a small smile, "Yeah, just a little bit of a headache," she sighed lightly and continued, "I'd like to go back to my dorm, Ned."

"Of course," he replied and raised his hand to a waiter and asked for the bill. When the waiter left after getting his payment, Catelyn abruptly stood up and left the table. Ned looked at her retreating back, stunned for a second, when he noticed that she was not headed to the wash room but to the exit. He quickly stood up and half ran to follow her. He caught up with her in the parking lot near his car.

"Cat," he started, "What's the matter?"

She looked over her shoulder, not even slowing her pace, "I'm jut tired, Ned."

Ned got a bit annoyed at that. He saved up money for this ridiculously expensive place (although his family have more than enough wealth, his father insists on them to remain responsible about money)and she doesn't even appear to be enthusiastic about it. He grabbed her by the arm and spun her around.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Cat? You've been acting like this the whole evening! Did I do something wrong?" He said in an obviously frustrated voice.

She looked down at her feet and mumbled, "It's nothing, Ned. Don't worry about it."

He almost growled at her, "It's our anniversary, Catelyn, although you don't look happy to spend a year with me."

Catelyn looked up at him, shocked, "I am happy about this year, Ned!" She exclaimed, "It's just.. I don't know how to tell you.."

"Tell me what, Catelyn?!" He said in an exasperated voice, "Out with it, Catelyn Tully!"

"I'm pregnant!" She blurted out with tears in her eyes. He stared at her uncomprehendingly.

"What?" He almost whispered.

Her tears spilled over her cheeks, "I'm pregnant, Ned," she sobbed out. He fell silent for a moment before he wrapped his arms around her as she cried into his chest.

"I know we're both not ready for it yet because we're still studying" she said, voice muffled slightly, "Don't worry about it, Ned. Lysa already found me a clinic and I'm scheduled to get rid of him next week-"

He pulled her away but kept her at arms length. He didn't miss the the fact that she used 'him' instead of 'it', as some people do. "Cat," he said, "Do you want to keep the babe?"

"We're both not ready yet-"

"No, just answer my question. Do you want to keep.. him?"

She looked up at him, "Yes, Ned, I want to keep him."

Then being ready be damned. He's not about to make her do what she don't want to do.

"Cancel the appointment, Cat," he said with conviction.

"What?" She asked, confused and hopeful at the same time.

"Let's keep him, Cat," he said with a smile. She broke out into the widest grin he had ever seen and threw her arms around his neck.

"Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you!" she cried out and he laughed. She pulled away slightly to kiss him.

When she pulled away from him, she was still smiling widely at him and leaned her forehead against his.

"I love you, Ned," she whispered.

"I love you too, Cat," he whispered back and his hand drifted to her still flat stomach.

They'll figure out how to tell their parents later but for now, this moment is theirs.


	9. February 9

"I don't understand why you still need to meet with her, Ned! That girl is your ex!" Catelyn almost yelled into her cellphone while pacing her room in utter frustration and anger.

"Ashara needs me, Cat. She may be my ex but she is still my friend," Ned said on the other line. He didn't raise his voice or anything but he kept it firm and determined.

Catelyn is trying not to be the over-jealous girlfriend, she really does. But this last few weeks, Ashara claims on having a problem and needed Ned as friend to cry on to. Ned has forgiven Ashara but Cat still remember Brandon(her then boyfriend) and Ashara's unfaithfulness and she can't help but think that the same thing may happen again.

"And what about me, Ned? Do you think I don't need you?" she almost growled into the phone, her hand unconciously rubbing her not yet visible baby bump, "We're supposed to come to my father this evening to tell him about my condition and where are you? You're at the house of that girl!"

"I'm sure we can resched-"

"Reschedule again, Ned?! This is the third time that we have to reschedule!"

"Catelyn, Ashara needs me."

She fell silent for a few moments before she said in a low voice, "Do you still love her, Eddard?"

"No!" Ned gasped, "Of course not! I love you, Catelyn. Don't you trust me?"

She gave a small sigh of relief and said, "I trust you, Eddard Its her that I don't trust."

It was his turn to be silent and Catelyn took that opportunity to hung up the call. She sat down at her bed, looking blankly at the wall. Almost immediately, her phone began buzzing again. She didn't need to look to know that it was Ned again. Her hand drifted down once more to her abdomen and she started to cry.

A/N: every couple has its ups and downs, eh? this is like a sequel of the feb 8


	10. February 10

They both came with a cry and Ned collapsed on top of Catelyn, who wrapped her arms readily around him, both fully spent. They were silent for a while except for their ragged breathing before he rolled off of her. Cat immediately snuggled on his side, her head on his shoulder and her hand drawing invisible circles on his chest. Ned wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her tighter against him.

He's been dating Catelyn Tully for two years now and four years since her break up wih his brother, Brandon. He had always liked her but kept his distance while she was dating her brother. She sought solace from Ned but it took him another year to grow the nerve to ask her out on a date. He also wants her to move on from Brandon so he gave her time before asking her out.

He looked at the top of her head. Two years, he thought, she's been my girlfriend for two years now. Suddenly, he was seized by overwhelming nervousness and anxiety. He had rehearsed the words at least a thousand times before she arrived but now, it seemed that the words were trapped in his throat. But one look at the redhead in his arms was enough for him to strengthen his resolve.

"Cat," he said softly.

"Hm?" She replied sleepily.

"I've got to tell you something."

She looked up at him, "What is it, Ned?"

He sat up, leaning back on the headboard, pulling Catelyn up with him. He took her hands in his and looked into her blue blue eyes.

"Catelyn," he started then forgot the rest of his script and looked at her blankly.

"Ned?" She looked at him, confused.

Oh fuck it, he thought, "Will you marry me?"

She looked at him with wide eyes, stunned and silent.

He squeezed her hand lightly, "I am no romantic, Cat. I- I don't know how to tell you how much you mean to me because no words can ever describe it. No word in any language can tell how much I love you, how much I want you to be with me forever. I want to wake up everyday and the first face that I see is yours. I want- " he was cut off when Catelyn crashed her lips against his and wrapped her arms around his neck. He releaxed slightly and wrapped his arms around her waist.

She murmured something against his lips and he pulled back slightly to look at her questioningly.

She giggled, "It's a yes, Ned," he sighed in relief and kissed her again, muffling her giggles.

She pulled back again, a small smile on her lips, "Do you have ring?"

He gave her a chaste kiss, suddenly nervous again; he doesn't know if she'll like it. He reached for his bedside drawer and took out a small, black velvet box and he handed it to her. She gave him a reassuring smile before she opened it. She gasped lightly at the engagement ring that he bought a month ago; it was a white gold ring with a single, small, bright blue sapphire at the top. He thought that it reminded him of her bright blue eyes.

"Oh, Ned," she said in an awed voice, "It's beautiful."

"I'm glad you like it," he said with a smile and kissed her passionately. She deepened the kiss and went on to straddle him. He grinned when she went down on him with a gasp.


	11. February 11

A/N: inspired by the songs 'happier' by ed sheeran and 'let her go' by the passenger

Brandon stared at them across the table, a fixed grin on his face. His brother and his ex girlfriend arrived today for dinner and although his brother and father have already told him about her arrival, it still didn't prepare him to see Cateln again. Ned had organized this dinner so they can see Catelyn.

She looked beautiful, radiant even. And it didn't escape his notice that she was wearing a ring on her left hand. He knew that Catelyn is not a girl who is a big fan of jewelry so it was actually a surprise for him to see her wearing a ring and he suddenly had a hunch on what brings on this dinner.

He stared at them across the table. He notices the way she looked at his brother (it was how she used to stare at him), the way his brother would smile at her (a smile that he never uses to anybody else), how, when his brother whispers something in her ear, she would lean and whisper something back (it was something that they used to do). He notice every smile, every caress, every stolen kisses on the cheek; what used to be his was now his brother's

He deserves this, he supposes. He had hurt her way more than any man could, hurt her so much that it left her so broken. And when she saw him with another girl, it had been the last straw that she finally broke up with him.

"Father, brothers, sister," Ned said in a loud voice, standing up, breaking Brandon out of his reverie, "I would like to announce something."

This is it, Brandon thought to himself. Ned pulled Catelyn up from her seat and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, "Family, I am happy to announce that Catelyn has agreed to be my wife," he said with a huge grin. Lyanna squealed and and jumped from her seat to Catelyn, his sister quickly grasping Cat's hand to look at her engagement ring. Catelyn laughed at her and readily showed her the ring.

Their father stood up, clapping Ned's shoulder and giving his future daughter-in-law a brief hug. Benjen stood up too, and gave Ned a hug. Ben approached Catelyn and gave her a side hug. Brandon stood up slowly from his seat and walked over to them.

"Congrats, bro," he said with a grin and hugged his brother. When he pulled back, Ned looked a little surprised but recovered quickly.

"Thanks, Brandon," he said with a smile. Brandon turned to Catelyn, who was still chatting with his sister.

"Hey, Cat," he said. Catelyn turned and looked at him curiously. There's no more hint of anger in her eyes when she looked at him, no more hatred in them.

Brandon held up his arms in an awkward way and smiled, "Congrats, future sis-in-law," he said.

Catelyn smiled and wrapped her arms around his torso loosely and he wrapped his own around her shoulders, "Thank you, Brandon," she said. He wants to wrap his arms around her tightly the way he used to. He wants to carry her off to his room and beg her forgiveness and to show her that it's still her, he still wants her. But she was already pulling back and staring at his brother with the smile that she used to flash him when she was about to kiss him, with the twinkle in her eyes when she looks at his brother. Ned walked around him to get to her and he wrapped his arms around her waist to kiss her lightly.

Brandon stared at them and notice everything: the way his brother smiled at her, how Catelyn's arms goes around his brother's neck, almost of their own accord to talk softly to him, how they fit perfectly with each other.

His heart seems to break at the thought of someone who once loved him with all her heart, who he hurt on more than a handful of occassion, now being over the top happy and is now a bride to be of his brother; those are some of the things that never crossed Brandon's mind to do when they were still together.

He took one last look at the happy couple and left the dining room, unnoticed for once.


	12. February 12

"Hey, you're a bit early," Catelyn greeted Ned when she opened the door for him. She had invited him to dinner when her father expressed his interest on meeting her new boyfriend. She kissed his cheek and led him inside.

He smiled sheepishly, "Sorry, my love, I was excited," he said and kissed her forehead.

The ground floor of the Tully Manor was wide and spacious. Ned wasn't even surprised; her family was one of the wealthiest family in the country alongside his.

He saw her father sitting in the living room couch, staring at him in a way that made him want to squirm. Hoster Tully was a well known navy general before he retired and his family was known to have cruise ships company along wih his boat and ships construction company.

Catelyn gave him a slightly apologetic look before turning back to her father, "Dad, this is Eddard Stark, my boyfriend," she said. It didn't escape Ned's notice that at the mention of his last name, Hoster's eye twitched slightly in what he assumed was annoyance. Catelyn's past relationship with his brother didn't end in good terms and it left her hurt. Her father must've known that but didn't say a thing about it to both of them. Yet.

Ned went on ahead and held out his hand, "You can call me Ned, sir," he said in what he hoped his confident voice. The older man looked at his hand briefly before shaking it with his own, grip still firm and strong despite his age.

"Good evening, Ned," the man said in a deep baritone and gestured at the couch in front of him, "Take a seat. Let's have chat."

Ned gulped nervously.

Catelyn gave him another apologetic look, "I gotta go back to the kitchen. Lysa needs my help there," she said before ealking out of the living room. Ned sat uneasily of the opposite couch where Hoster sat.

When she was completely out of earshot, Hoster began to talk, "As you already know, Catelyn is my first-born daughter," he started, "When their mother died, Catelyn has been a relief not only to her siblings but also to me. She would go out of her way to make sure that everything in this house runs smoothly, the way her mother used to do. She remained strong for them when their mother died. She would make sure that her siblings did their homeworks, that they are alright. She held them when they're having nightmares."

The man's voice and his eyes softened while he was talking about his first-born and Ned already knows, from Catelyn's stories, that Hoster is fond of his daughter. Ned didn't need to speak so he let the man continue.

"Catelyn made this house feel like home again, even without their mother. Everyday, she'd did her duties to her siblings and to this house with a perfect smile on her face.

"But when your brother broke her heart, it had been a while until we saw her smile a real smile again," at the mention of his daughter being hurt, the man's face soured, "I didn't know what to do. I want to kill the man who hurt my Little Cat. I want to tie him upside down and beat him senseless. Cat didn't want me to do that," he sighed.

Ned finally felt the need to speak up, "I know that what my brother did to Catelyn was very horrible," he said, "But I'm not like him, sir. I will never hurt Cat. Not now, not ever."

Hoster gave him a glare that quickly softened, "I fully expect you to do that. And if you were not listening to what I was saying earlier, I can kill for my children. And if ever Catelyn comes in here, crying because you hurt her, she will not be able to stop me this time."

Ned gulped nervously, "I know you're ready to kill anyone for your children, sir, but I assure you, you won't be needing your gun against me anytime because I am never going to hurt Catelyn," he said, "I love her, sir, more than anything."

Hoster continued to look at him before giving him a small smile, "I suppose not," he said, his voice tinged with amusement and Ned smiled back.

"Gentlemen," a voice in the kitchen called, "Dinner is ready!"

"We're coming, Lysa!" Hoster called back just as Catelyn emerged from the kitchen.

"Dad, did you kill my boyfriend?" She said jokingly.

Hoster laughed and even Ned chuckled, "Not yet, Little Cat," her father replied, "Though he's still breathing."

"Dad!" Catelyn said in mock horror and then led them to the dining hall. Ned and Catelyn fell behind a little.

"Everything all right?" Cat asked him.

He smiled and kissed her forehead, "Everything's all right, love."


	13. February 13

A/N: heeding the suggestion of guest: jealous!ned. im accepting suggestions guys!

To jean d' arc: thanks! Im glad you like them!

Ned stared at the back of Catelyn's head, her hair like a flaming halo around her head. He sat at his table, silently fuming. _If only I can dance_ , he thought to himself ruefully. This night is Lysa Tully's 20th birthday and, as her sister's boyfriend, Ned was invited along. But what he didn't know was that their father's former ward was also invited.

Petyr Fucking Baelish.

Ned shouldn't have been surprised, he supposed. That guy was (is) Lysa's first love and he was almost a brother to Catelyn and Edmure. He could live with that if not for the story that his brother, Brandon, told him about the fucker. Brandon said that Petyr was obsessively in love with Catelyn while they were still together and had dared Brandon into a fight to lay claim over Catelyn. Brandon, hot-blooded as always, accepted the challenge. Brandon won over the younger boy but he did not leave Petyr unscathed; one of his ribs was broken and he will forever bear the scar on his forehead from being tackled to the ground by Brandon. Petyr only stopped when Catelyn yelled at him to go away and that she chooses Brandon.

When he arrived with Catelyn, even she looked surprised when Petyr appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, in front of them with Lysa clinging on his arm. His smile was polite but Ned still didn't trust the man. If what Brandon said about him, being obsessed with Catelyn, then, there's a possibility that he's still not over her.

When the dance began, Catelyn had repeatedly asked him for a dance, just one dance, but he just laughed and refused. That made her pout and he couldn't help himself from kissing her lightly, "Your pout will not work on me today, my love," he said.

"Then perhaps you can try them on me, Cat. I guarantee you, it will definitely work," a voice behind them said. They turned at the same time and saw Petyr behind them with a smirk on his face. Ned can feel his expression change from warm affection to cold fury but the younger man didn't seem deterred. Instead, he held out his hand to Catelyn and bowed in front of her mockingly.

"Can I have this dance, my lady?" he said. She glanced at Ned, silently asking for permission. He doesn't like to dance but she does and he wants her to have fun in this party.

He smiled, "You don't need to ask my permission, my love," he answered, loud enough for the other man to hear the endearment. She smiled and took Petyr's hand as he led her to the dance floor. He stared at them silently and he felt his anger rise. One of Petyr's hand, which was supposed to be on Catelyn's back, was travelling lower and lower until their almost on the curve of her backside. If Ned were Brandon, he would've marched right into them and beat the other man to pulp. But he is Ned, and he thinks about every possible outcomes and consequences of his actions so he contented himself of clenching his hand tight under the table and imagining number of ways of how he can murder Petyr Fucking Baelish. And when Catelyn herself repositioned his hand to where it was supposed to be, Ned could've wept with relief.

When the dance ended, he literally leapt up from his seat to claim her hand, "I believe it's my turn now, Cat," he said as he glared at Petyr. He only smiled back before disappearing in the crowd.

He held Catelyn close to him, closer than what the dance requires. They were not even properly dancing, just swaying in the spot, "What did he say?" he practically growled in her ear. She pulled back slightly to look up at him.

"Nothing, Ned. We just talked about his upcoming career in King's Landing."

His frown didn't lessen, "He's practically pawing you earlier, Cat."

She sighed, "I replaced it back up, didn't I?" she said with a reassuring smile.

He looked into her eyes, silent for a while.

"I don't want any other man to touch you like that," he said in a low voice.

Unexpectedly, she grinned, "What?" she said in an incredulous voice, "Ned, are you jealous of Petyr?"

He didn't answer immediately, opting instead of resting his cheek against her fiery red hair.

"I can't accept it in myself to see someone else touch you like that, Cat," he said, "I can't explain it but while you were dancing with him, I want to beat him up just because I keep on remembering that time when he laid claim on you, and I was thinking, 'What if she accepts him? What if, this time, she chooses him?' I don't know, Cat. I know it's irrational and wrong because you're right here but," he tightens his hold on her, pressing his face against her hair, inhaling its scent, "Maybe I'm just crazy, Cat," he said with a chuckle.

She pulled back again and brought her hands up to cup his face, "You're right, Ned," she said quietly, "I'm right here. And I promise you, I'm not about to leave. Petyr can come back all he wants, hell, even Brandon can come back from the dead, but I'll stick with you, as long as you'll have me," she said and laughed hollowly, "Unless you want to be rid of my presence, that's the only time I'll leave."

He cupped his own hands around her face, "Never, my love," he said and kissed her for all to see.

A/N: not my best work, I admit, but I still hope you like it guest!


	14. February 14

It's Valentine's Day and it appears that Ned had forgotten about it.

Not that Catelyn mind. After all, his been stressed about his family's company ever since the unexpected death of his father, brother and sister and the responsibility of running a multi-international business landed solely on his shoulder.

No, Catelyn doesn't mind that her husband forgot about Valentine's. It's that her students, especially the guys, didn't.

Working as a professor at a local university at Winterfell is fun, she supposed, but, apparrently, when you're the youngest member of the faculty in the university, you are the target of testorone-filled teenagers.

At 28, even she can't deny that she is pretty. She managed to keep her lovely figure even after giving birth to her first son a year ago, Robb, and her husband never forgets to tell her -and make her feel- that she is beautiful. But she finds it irritating that many of her male students find her as an interesting eye-candy despite the fact that she wears her rings proudly and they regularly call her 'Mrs. Stark'.

Since she arrived this morning, she already received at least half-dozen roses, all from her (boy) students and it's only twelve o'clock. She repeatedly refused them, at the point of arguing, but they were persistent until she finally relented.

She was eating her lunch at the faculty room, alone and with the doors locked. All her other co-professors either had lunch outside with their dates or extending their time with the students to teach because of the midterm exams approaching. Just as she was cleaning her desk, her phone buzzed. It was a text from Ned.

"I'll probably work late tonight again, Cat. Don't wait up for me. I already texted Robb and Jon's nanny to extend and she agreed. Love you."

She sighed. Usually, between the two of them, he was the one who arrives first since her classes run up to seven o'clock in the evening. But lately, Ned has been working early in the morning until late in evening because of the various problems at the office. At least the nanny agreed to stay for a while longer again, she thought to herself.

Jon is Lyanna's, Ned's sister, son. She died while giving birth to him and made Ned promise to take care of him and to never contact Jon's father. Apparently, the man, Senator Rhaegar Targaryen, doesn't want anything to do with him because he was married and with kids. Catelyn and Ned had both been furious but, wanting to heed Lyanna's dying wish, they left the man alone and they adopted Jon, legally, as their own.

Catelyn loves both her sons, even though one of them wasn't hers. Quickly typing up a reply, she went back to cleaning her desk and preparing for her next class.

"That's okay, Ned. Good thing Nan agreed to stay a bit longer. Love you too. Stay safe."

-page break-

Finally, she's home. She held her bag on one hand and the roses on the other. For the remaining seven hours of her work, she received a dozen more roses from her students. It had annoyed her a bit and she just wants to throw it all away the moment she stepped out of the school but, she grudgingly admits to herself, the roses are nice and she had always liked them. Might as well put them in a vase.

When she stepped out of her car, she noticed something... odd about their house. From the window, she can see that it's completely dark in the first floor and what appears to be a single light on the second. Fearing the worse, she half-ran up the steps, cursing her fingers for fumbling with the keys of the front door. When she finally got the door open, she called out.

"Nan? Where are you? Robb? Jon?" She called out, hoping that her boys' voice would answer. Her voice echoed back at her and her eyes adjusting in the dark.

"Cat?" A voice on the second floor called out and she looked up, squinting her eyes to see who it was.

"Ned?" She replied, confused and surprised at the same time, "I thought..."

Ned went down the stairs and took her hand, leading her up the second floor. She was too stunned to protest.

When they reached the top of the stairs, she finally found her voice, "Ned? What's going on? Where are the boys? I thought you were working?"

Through the faint light coming from the light of his open office (so that was the single light she saw outside!), she saw him smile.

"The boys are with Ben, my love. Don't worry about them," he said.

"But what is this? Why is it dark? I thought you were working?" She said, puzzled. He started to lead them to his office.

"I wanted to surprise you tonight, Cat," he said as he led her inside. Catelyn stood in the doorway, stunned at what she saw. She was used to seeing his desk filled with papers: proposals, letters and other what-nots, but tonight, she saw none of those. She saw a single candle in the middle, a bottle of wine, two glasses, two plates of steaks, and two chairs, side by side. She turned to look at Ned and saw him holding a bouquet of assorted flowers and smiling widely at her.

"Happy Valentine's Day, my love," he said. She stood in stunned silence for a while before her own lips broke into a tremendous grin.

"I didn't know you were one for surprises, my love," she said as she walked closer to him, dropping her bag and wrapping her hand around his hand that held the flowers.

He shrugged, "Well, this is our first Valentine's as a married couple so, I thought that I should make it special for us."

Her eyebrows rose slightly, "And why at your office, my love? We have a fairly serviceable dining room downstairs," She teased, already knowing the answer.

He blushed slightly but chuckled, "Well, my office is nearer to our bedroom than the dining room."

She giggled and took the flowers from him, the flowery scent wafting through her nose. Ned glanced down at her other hand and frowned.

"Who're those from?" He asked, gesturing at the roses

She sighed quietly, remembering the events of the day, "From my students."

His frown lightened but didn't leave his face, "Your students seem to give you a lot of love this Valentine's."

She laughed and let the roses drop down beside her bag, "Maybe," she said and her hand slid up his chest, to his neck, to his face, "But I am only waiting for your love tonight and every night."

He grinned and took her hand, leading her to the table.

"I know steak is your favorite so I had Old Nan cook it up for you before she left," he said.

She smiled and let him lead her to her seat and push her a little closer to the table before going to his own seat beside her and they talked about their day while they ate. She drank more wine than she was used to and soon she was feeling a little light-headed.

"Are you okay, Cat?" He said, worried, when he noticed her slightly swaying on her seat.

She shook her head and pat his hand reassuringly, "I'm okay, my love. Though, I believe its time for us to go to bed."

His expression fell a little before one of her hands cupped his face to kiss him and the other grabbed his cock through his slacks. She smiled when he reciprocated her kiss with much fervor and the way his cock jumped against her hand. He pulled away to kiss along her neck that left her breathless.

"I think I can now see what you mean about your office being more near than the dining room," she said, trying to supress a moan.

He chuckled and pulled away, drawing a sound of protest from her throat.

"I think we have a large bed waiting for us," he said and took her hand to lead her out of his office, blowing the candle out as they pass.

"Yes, we do, my love," she said as he led them out, flowers long forgotten.

A/N: happy valentines day!!!


	15. February 15

"No," Catelyn said as she glared at Ned.

He looked at her pleadingly, "C'mon, Cat..."

"I said no, Ned!" She almost yelled.

He pouted, "Look, Cat, we just moved in together and I thought it would be a good idea to..."

She sighed heavily, "Ned, you know my aversions to that kind of thing."

He stood up from the couch, leaving the bag on the floor to stand in front of her and he took her hands in his own, "I know," he said softly, "but, think of it as a house-warming gift. And I think you will like it," he finished with a smile and that look in his face that he knows she can't refuse.

She turned her face away from him, "That face won't work, Ned."

He frowned slightly before landing a kiss on the corner of her mouth, "Maybe now?" He whispered.

"No," she replied, her voice quavering slightly.

"Hm," Ned hummed thoughtfully. He cupped her face, tilting her head slightly to kiss along the length of her neck.

"And now?" He murmured against her neck before resuming his task.

"A little," her voice cracked when she answered.

He chuckled before kissing her full on her lips, his tongue darting out to meet her own, their hands busy roaming each others body.

They were both breathless when he pulled away and he took in the sight of her dazed expression.

"Now?" He asked with a grin.

She huffed, "Fine," she said with a glare that quickly melted into an affectionate gaze, "But, I get to name it."

He felt his grin widen before he walked back at the couch and knelt before the bag. When he opened it, a black and white head of a Siberian Husky poked out, it's blue eyes darting around the room. Ned picked it up and brought the dog close to her.

Catelyn eyed it warily at first and the dog looked back. She stepped closer to him and the dog sniffed at her as she slowly brought her arms up to take it from Ned. Once he transfered the dog to her arms, the dog began to lick her face and she almost drop it, if not for Ned. When she was finally settled, the dog began to lick her face again and this time, she giggled.

"Okay, this might be a good idea, after all," she said, a little breathless from giggling.

"I told you, you'll like him," he said, his voice a little smug.

"Shut up, Ned," she said but there's no real bite in her words. He only laughed and watched her dote at the dog.

"Ice," she said as she looked at the dog's eyes.

"What?" Ned answered.

"We'll name him 'Ice'," she said and looked up at him. He smiled and said 'Sure,' and wrapped his arms around the both of them.


	16. February 16

Catelyn lay in her bed, curled up in a fetal position with her arms around her knees. This is why she hates her period; she gets the worst cramps of all, the mother of all period cramps, the cramp that beats all the other cramps in the world. It feels like her uterus is trying to rip itself apart from her body, like a horse is inside her abdomen and kicking her from the inside.

But the worst of all is the headache.

Gods, she just wants someone to behead her than to make her feel this fucking headache. It's like a hammer being repeatedly beat against her temples, up to the top of her head and down to the back of her neck. The pain was blinding and dizzying at the same time that she almost couldn't get up this morning to call in sick at work.

She tightened her arms around her knees, pressing the hot pack closer against her abdomen. Fucking cramps, she thought, fucking period. She must've taken a nap because the next she hears is her front door opening. She almost wept in relief. She called Lysa earlier to keep her company and she made her sister buy tons of chocolate. Lysa said she'd arrived by three pm since she still have school.

"Cat?" A voice called out and she froze. That is definitely not Lysa's voice. She glanced at her bedside drawer and saw that it's only noon.

"Who's there?" She called out or, more like, croaked out. That someone knocked on her door and she stood unsteadily on her feet.

"Cat, it's me, Ned. I heard you called in sick and I was worried." The voice said and she sighed in relief. She gave Ned a duplicate of her keys a long time ago, when he started to take it upon himself to look after her when his brother died. She opened her door and was greeted by the concerned face of Ned.

"Hey, what happened - Oh!" His question turned into a gasp of surprise when she tripped over her own feet and she stumbled against him. Luckily, he caught her by the arms before they can both fall.

"Whoa! What's wrong?" He exclaimed.

It took a minute for Cat to formulate a reply, "It's my bloody cramps," she said through gritted teeth as she looked up at him. Ned knows about her period cramps since he's been going to her apartment for almost a year now.

"Oh," he said. He tightened his hold on her arms and started steering her to her bed, "You should be in bed, then. Are you dizzy?" He asked and she nodded her head as she took up her fetal position once more. He sat down on the edge of her bed.

"Have you drank something for the pain?" Ned asked.

She shook her head, "Can't seem to find one," she muttered against her pillow.

She felt him stood up, "I'll be back, Catelyn," he said and she heard her bedroom door close.

He came back fifteen minutes later (although it felt like an eternity to Cat), carrying a plastic bag in one hand and a glass of water in the other. He sat back down on the edge of her bed and began rummaging through the bag as she looked.

"Here, drink this," he said, holding up a pill, "It helps with the pain," he explained. Cat sat up a little to drink it.

Ned dumped the contents of the bag onto her bed and, to her delight, she saw numerous chocolates of varying sizes.

"Lyanna used to make me buy tons of chocolate," he said with a wistful look on his face. He always gets that look when he mentions his dead sister.

She took his hand in her own and squeezed lightly,"Thank you, Ned," she said with a smile. He smiled back and pulled his hand to open one of the Maltesers for her.

A/N: this is more of a friendship genre than romance.

To Guest: im glad you like them! Thank you!!


	17. February 17

"You got her pregnant?! What were you thinking!" Robert exclaimed at his best friend.

"I know, I know!" Ned said as he paced the room.

Robert drag a hand down his face, "You know what you gotta do, right?"

"Of course I do!"

Robert sighed in relief, "Great. When are you gonna do it?"

"Next week," Ned replied and he sank on the bed, "Her father's going to kill me," he groaned in distress.

Robert looked at him in confusion, "You don't have to tell her father about it."

"Of course I need to, Robert!" He almost yelled before he leaned his elbows against his knees and buried his face in his hands, "If he's not going to kill me for impregnating his daughter, he's definitely going to murder me if we didn't tell him what we're about to do."

Robert looked at him as if he grew three heads, "Parental Consent is not needed in a clinic, Ned."

It was Ned's turn to look at him with a puzzled expression, "What?"

"You don't need to tell Hoster that you got her pregnant," Robert started, "because you're not going to tell him that you are going to abort the fetus."

Ned's expression turned horrified.

"What?" Robert asked with a chuckle when he saw Ned's face, "C'mon, Ned. You don't have to tell him anything. He doesn't have to know - "

"We're not going to abort the baby!" Ned cut his friend off, "We're..." Ned sighed before continuing, "We plan on getting married."

Robert's eyes widened.

"Next week, we're going to tell her father that I got her pregnant and that I am going to make her an honest woman by marrying her," Ned stated.

"Wow," Robert said once he recovered from his shock.

Ned sighed, "Yeah. Wow."

"You really do love her," Robert said.

"Of course. And I'm willing to do this for her," Ned replied.

Robert stood up and clapped a hand on his friend's shoulder, "I'm happy for you, man." I can never be half the man that he is, Robert thought to himself.

Ned smiled up at him, "Thank you, Robert."

Robert grinned, "Of course, I'm to be the best man, right?"

Ned's grin turned playful, "You've got to fight Brandon and Ben over that."

"Hey!"


	18. February 18

"Hello?"

"Good evening, Cat."

Yawn, "It's actually, " pause, "three in the morning here. You're four hours late, love."

"Oh, sorry," silence, "I really miss you, Cat."

Smile, "I really miss you too, Ned. How's the trip?"

Sigh, "Tedious. And annoying. I swear, if Robert makes me seat on that business meeting again alone, I'll wring his neck."

Giggle, "You will not do that. He's your best friend. And your boss."

"Aye, he is, but sometimes I just want to wring his neck to bring some sobriety into his head so he can actually attend HIS meeting."

"I know how that feels. Sometimes I just want to head butt Lysa for still pining over Petyr."

Chuckle, "I wish you're here, my love. I miss you."

"Me too, Ned, and I really miss you too. But you know I can't."

"How's our little wolf?"

"He's been kicking my bladder like he's more a horse than a wolf."

Laughter, "Gods, Cat. I can't wait to be home with you."

"Patience, my love."

"Did I already tell you that I miss you?"

"Yes, Ned, this is the third time you said it," pause, "I miss you beside me. My bed's too cold without you."

"Me too, Cat. I think my bed is too big."

"Just three more days, just three more days, just three more days..."

"What if I just leave Robert here and let him deal with these people?"

Gasp, "Ned! You can't do that!" Rustle, "Besides, it's only three more days."

Groan, "Three more days without you."

Giggle, "It'll be over soon, love. It'll be over soon."


	19. February 19

"You know, this hardly constitutes as a date, my lady." Ned said from his spot on the bed as he watched Catelyn move around his room, Kool-Fever stuck on his forehead.

They were not supposed to spend the evening like this.

They were supposed to have a nice night out: movies, dinner, walk around the city. But they're here instead, with Ned shivering under the quilts, a new feat for him since cold never used to bother him.

Yesterday, the sun was scorching hot that it made him feel like he's going to melt, until noon when torrential rain suddenly fell from the sky and he forgot his umbrella. It's like his immune system had an overload and decided to betray him and, as a result, he cannot stand up this morning, his skin burning, his head pounding and he's feeling so cold that he shivered so hard and left his teeth chattering.

By the gods, he can withstand the harshest winter at Winterfell and only feel a slight chill. But this, this feeling, this no longer feels normal. He called Catelyn immediately to tell her that he had to cancel their date. She heard that something is wrong with him that she came over at his apartment.

Catelyn smiled, "I think I'd rather stay here with you than leave you to die on your own," she said as she sat down on his bed. She pulled off the Kool-Fever and replaced it with a new one.

"Here, drink this," she said as she handed him a pill.

Ned laughed lightly, "This feels familiar. But with the roles reversed."

She grinned, "I remember. That time when you helped me while I had my period. Open your mouth," she ordered. She stuck a thermometer under his tongue and he closed his eyes. He felt her run a hand through his hair, gently massaging his head. She then rested her hand against his cheek, feeling his heat. He can't help himself from leaning his face against her cool hand.

The thermometer beeped and he opened his eyes. Catelyn pulled it out without removing her hand away from his face. Her eyebrows furrowed.

"38.9 celcius," she said and looked back at him with concern and worry etched on her beautiful face.

Ned groaned, "I want to die," he whined.

"Don't you dare," Cat said in a mock-warning, "I still want to have a real date with you. Besides," she grinned, "You have the best nurse and the best girlfriend that you can ever wish for. You'll live."

A/N: had to use celcius because im an idiot


	20. February 20

Catelyn stared at him from across the boat. He was originally opposed to the idea of taking the boat because of the scorching heat at the river and he feared that he's going to melt into a puddle. Cat had to reassure him for a million times that no, he is not going to melt however hot it goes and that, when they go further out, the heat will be more bearable.

Catelyn invited him here at Riverrun for the weekend. She wanted them to unwind and visit her father, brother and uncle and she insisted that their trip will not be complete without a boat ride at the Trident and he complained half-heartedly all the way.

When Brandon died, she felt that she lost all will to live. She stopped going to her classes and stopped going to work. Brandon was her everything that time and her everything was taken when he died.

(Not that she wasn't aware of Brandon's extra-curricular activities with other girls but, still, she was in love with him.)

Well, not everything. His brother, Ned, is still there. They sought solace on one another and he took it upon himself to look after her. He made her finish her last semester at the University, he made her go to work and he made her motivate herself despite the grief that they both feel. When she graduated, it was Ned who attended since her father is already sick and old. She celebrated her first paycheck by treating him out on a dinner at fancy restaurant at King's Landing. Ned was there every month whenever her cramps occur and he was there to buy her tons of chocolates and pints of ice cream.

Ned, it seems, is always there. It was a horrible year, sure, but with Ned there, it was bearable.

She used to compare Ned with his dead brother; how he's not as tall as Brandon, how he always looked so solemn in contrast with Brandon, how Ned always take things seriously. But, this last few months, she noticed a change in herself or, rather, the way she looked at Ned changed. The 'he's not as tall as Brandon' thoughts turned to 'If I just stand on my toes a little, I could kiss him'. How 'he always look so solemn' turned to 'he laughs and smiles more easily when we're alone'. It used to be 'he always take things seriously' turned to 'I admire that he has that sense of responsibility and dedication'.

That is when she realized that she fell in love with her dead boyfriend's brother.

Catelyn turned off the motor of the boat, letting the current take them for a moment. Ned tipped his head back and closed his eyes as if to take a nap and Catelyn stared at him. He's not as handsome as his brother but Cat can see more than a face when it comes to Ned. She knows how kind he is, how responsible and dedicated he is. She knows how much he is willing to sacrifice when it comes to his family. She knows about his sadness and grief when his father, brother and sister died and he sought her comfort.

She knows that beneath his solemn face, he is a good-hearted man.

Ned suddenly opened his eyes and she knows that she's been caught staring at him.

Ned raised his eyebrows, "Do I have something on my face, Cat? You're staring at me weird."

I'm in love with you and it makes me terrified, she thought to herself.

Instead, she smiled, "Nothing. You want to go swimming?"

A/N: inspired by a tumblr post


	21. February 21

Ned and Catelyn awoke to the feeling of two hyper 6-year old boys bouncing on their bed.

"Happy birthday, daddy! Happy birthday, daddy!" The two sang, or more likely, screamed, off-key at the top of their voices. Catelyn muffled her groan of protest against the pillow.

Robb and Jon continued to sing to him until he opened his eyes only to be pounced upon by the boys and all he could see was a head of auburn and brown. He wrapped his arms loosely around them and blinked.

"Your sons are more excited for your birthday than you are, my love," Cat whispered lowly on his ear.

He chuckled, "Before the sun rose, they were YOUR sons," he whispered back and she giggled as the boys sat up. Both boys are still in their pajamas and their hair still dishelved.

"How old are you, daddy?" Jon asked the same time Robb asked, "Mommy, how many candles is he going to blow?"

Ned laughed out loud and he too sat up along with Catelyn. They both leaned against the headboard, settling Robb on his lap and Jon on Catelyn.

Jon is Lyanna's son but when she died, Ned and Catelyn took full responsibility of him and adopted him as their own. Catelyn loves him like her own son but doesn't forget to remind him about his true blood mother.

"My sons," he started with a croaky voice, an imitation of their old family doctor, Pycelle, "I am too old for candles and cakes," both boys started giggling.

Catelyn smiled and ran a hand through Jon's curls, brushing them away from his forehead, "Your father is old, boys," she said looking thoughtful at her husband before continuing, "and I don't think he has the strength to carry you down the stairs any longer."

Both boys started protesting and their parents laughed before Ned stood up and took both boys in his arms, carrying them as if they weighted nothing. The boys started to laugh and began praising their father.

"Who's old now, Cat, huh?" He asked with a grin.

She smiled, "Hm, maybe not too old. I do confess that I have a thing for older guys."

Ned laughed and walked around the room in circles, the boys' laughter filling the room.

"As much as I would like to watch you all day," Catelyn started, "Today is friday and still a school day. Go on, boys! Off to bath, you go. I'll prepare breakfast."

Ned gently set both of them down and they both ran to their rooms, shutting the door on their way out, and he collapsed back into their bed on his stomach. Catelyn let her fingers massage his back gently.

"That also goes for you, Mr. Stark. You have work," she said softly with a hint of amusement in her voice.

He flopped on his back and looked at his wife endearingly, "It's my birthday, Cat. Don't I get to open my presents first?" He said with a sly smile.

Catelyn laughed and kicked the sheets away so she can stand, "As much as I would want to give my gift to you now, I still need to cook breakfast for our sons. And I have to prepare for the small dinner that we organized with your friends and brother," her smile turned mischievous, "Maybe, after the dinner, I can ask Ben to take the boys for the weekend. How would you like that, my love?"

He grinned, "Very much, Cat. Very much."

A/N: i just had to quote lion king. I just had to.


	22. February 22

Catelyn feels warmer everytime she carries a child. Their doctor, Dr. Luwin, do notice that her temperatures run a bit higher everytime she is pregnant (and this is already her third).

She took her leave from the university four months before her due date and she often sits by an open window of their manor at Winterfell, either reading a book or knitting a baby clothing.

Any other day, she would've shivered violently already and slammed the windows shut.

But carrying a child warms her from the inside. The cold of the north is not as biting anymore and she rather enjoys the breeze that comes in from the window. She and her husband already implored Luwin's opinion on this and he, albeit a little hesitant, agreed with them.

She doesn't know if it occurs with other women too, but in her mind, carrying a Stark inside her keeps her warm.

(And her ever dutiful and sweet and loving and caring husband still insists on keeping her warm at night with his caresses and kisses and his hands running up and down her thighs and his lips and tongue and fingers between her thighs, circling and circling...)

A/N: thank you Ojha and General Crow!!


	23. February 23

Catelyn is the most beautiful woman in the planet in Ned's opinion and anyone who says otherwise is a damn fool.

What enarmoured him when he first saw her was her hair. A hair as red as that couldn't have been anymore out of place here at Winterfell. It seems to be a beacon here in the white and gray colors of the north, glowing like the sunset itself. He often hear someone compare her hair to the red leaves of the heart tree but Ned didn't think so. He doesn't quite know what color to call her hair, in all honesty. It's far brighter than copper, more vibrant to call auburn and far more lovely to call a simple red. When he first ran his hand on her hair, he thought that he never want to stop touching it. It was the softest thing he had ever touched, softer than even silk. And when she lays her head on his chest, he'd run his hands through it as she falls asleep.

And then there's her eyes. They're the brightest pair of blue eyes that Ned had ever seen. They look like the water of the rivers where she grew up by. He could feel himself getting drowned everytime he gazes upon her eyes and yet, at the same time, he doesn't want to look away from her. Her eyes that would look back at him with so much love and affection that would make his breath hitch and his heart to beat wildly against his chest.

Really, Catelyn Tully made him experience how it feels to fall so irrevocably in love.

And now, as he lay on his bed with Cat's head against his chest as she dozed off, his fingers running lazily through her hair, he just want to voice out what he feels for her.

"I love you so much, Cat," he said simply against her hair.

He felt her smile, "And I love you so much, Ned," she said sleepily.

Really, Catelyn is the most beautiful woman in the planet in Ned's opinion and anyone who says otherwise is a damn fool.


	24. February 24

Catelyn shivered violently despite the fact that she's buried under probably a hundred quilts and blankets. The snowstorm raged outside the window and her teeth chattered. The news said that this storm is the worst snowstorm that Winterfell ever experienced in the past 50 years and may probably last for another three days.

She visited her boyfriend for the weekend but because of the snowstorm, she got stranded here at Winterfell manor. Ned gave her one of the guest rooms to stay since his father forbade them sleep in one room together (like they haven't done that before - and more - when they stay in one room). She gritted her teeth as another gust of wind managed to get in through the small crack of the window when someone knocked at her door.

She knows that it's already around midnight (she has a fairly good idea who it was) and she doesn't want to leave her coccoon of blankets so she called out through gritted teeth, "Come in."

Ned came in, wearing only a sweatshirt and pajama pants, carrying an armful of blankets. He pushed the door close and locked it.

She glared at him, "Totally unfair."

Unlike her, Ned seems to have an immunity to the cold and he often teases her that she has too much southern blood to ever enjoy winter.

He smiled as he climbed next to her and wrapped her in three (!) blankets before wrapping one around him, "You'll get used to it, love."

She huffed, "I'm afraid not. I think I'm turning into a popsicle here."

Ned chuckled and wrapped his arms around her, blankets and all, "You won't," he said as rubbed her back through the layers of blankets.

She leaned her forehead against his collarbone, "I am," she whined.

"You always tell me that I won't melt whenever were at Riverrun," he pointed out.

"This is different," she said, "People don't just melt but anybody can freeze to death."

He hummed thoughtfully and said, "I can think of ways of how to keep you warm."

She looked up at him, "What?" She said eagerly.

He smiled slyly and started to peel away the layers of blankets that covered her, "Do you know that body heat can spread more efficiently when pressed together naked?"

She blinked, "Are you suggesting that..?"

He grinned, "Yes, that is what I am suggesting."

She grinned back and threw the blankets away in one swipe of her arm as she supressed her shiver, "Okay, then." She sat up and removed her shirt.

A/N: no i am not going to continue it i dont know how to write smut I NEED HELP


	25. February 25

Ned: You still up?

Cat: Yeah. Why?

Ned: I miss you :(

Cat: Ned, we're together just 3 hours ago.

Ned: Was it only 3 hours? Feels like an eternity already.

Cat: Hardy har har

Cat: We should sleep. We still have school tomorrow.

Ned: I can't sleep :(

Cat: Try. I have quizzes tomorrow.

Ned: Then I think YOU should sleep.

Cat: Can't. You keep on texting me.

Ned: You know you can stop anytime.

Cat: What?

Ned: If you really want to sleep then you can just stop texting me.

Ned: That means you want to keep on texting me!!

Cat: Okay. You caught me.

Ned: I knew it!

Cat: Please don't rub it in.

Ned: Sorry.

Ned:Can I go there???

Cat: Don't even think about it.

Cat: Youre gonna wake up my landlady.

Ned: Please?

Cat: No.

Ned: Please please??

Cat: NO.

Ned: Pretty pretty please? :(

Cat: NO.

Ned: :(

Ned: I really do miss you though.

Cat: Mmh

Cat: You know very well that my dorm is only 3 blocks away from yours.

Cat: Please don't take that bike of yours again.

Cat: It's noisy and I don't wanna wake my landlady.

Cat: Text me if you're near.

Ned: I'm here.

Cat: What? I just invited you 2 minutes ago. And I know you didn't bring your bike. I didn't hear it.

Ned: Where there's a will, there's a way.

Ned: And I'll keep on finding ways

Ned: When it comes to you, my love.


	26. February 26

Catelyn often thinks that having a soldier as a husband is hard.

At first, it was because of the time apart. Ned is a hands-on soldier and is often away to serve in some country or at the Wall, fighting wars that isn't his. He would spend months away from their home, away from her and away from their sons.

Robb and Jon were both two years old already when he was called again to fight off terrorists (wildlings, as they call them) from beyond the wall and, this time, he had been gone for a year, the longest time he'd been away. He can call them, sure, but Robb and Jon were not yet old enough to recognize his voice. It broke Catelyn's heart that, when she brings her phone to her sons' ear and Ned would try to talk to them, they would look at her with such confusion and not respond to their father's voice.

When Ned came home after serving for a year, he tried to hug his sons only to be met with wails from both boys. It appears that they did not recognize him. Ned's face that day was a look of utter sadness and heartbreak and Catelyn had to reassure him that the boys only need time. That particular incident had been a wake-up call for him that he decided to resign from the army and opting to serve only as a reserves, finally taking over the family business that he left Benjen and Catelyn to manage.

A few months after that, Catelyn had been woken from her slumber by the thrashing of her husband. His jaw was clenched tightly, sweat dripping from his furrowed brows, his eyes moving rapidly beneath his closed lids and his fingers twisting the sheets tightly as he moved restlessly in his sleep. Catelyn had shook him awake and he woke up with a small yell, his eyes wide and frightened. Catelyn had tried her best to comfort him and to coax the nightmare out of him but he only said that it was nothing and they went back to sleep, holding Cat tight against his chest. It happened again a few more times but still, he refused to tell her what his nightmare is.

It was until the eighth time that it happened.

It was a particularly long day at the office and she's awfully tired. When her head hit the pillow, she was out like a light. She abruptly woke up in the middle of the night feeling warm and something pressing on her chest. She opened her eyes and was met by quite a sight: her husband's head was laying on her chest, his arms tight around her torso.

"Ned?" She breathed.

"You did not wake up," he said softly.

"What?" She said, puzzled.

"You did not wake up," he repeated, looking up at her with frightened eyes, "I was having a dream but you didn't wake up."

"Sorry," she mumbled, "I was really tired." She stopped pressing about his dreams around the fifth time that it happened and so she didn't press this night.

She felt him shift and he placed his forehead against her collarbone, pressing his hands flat on her back and bringing her closer to him.

"I don't always tell you about my missions overseas," he mumbled.

"It's okay," she whispered back. Her husband is not a very open person and she knows it.

"No.. I.. I've been having nightmares, Cat," he said. She remained silent, sensing that Ned will finally tell her about his dreams.

"We know that the terrorists there beyond the wall, they're killers, savages who will kill anybody, who is not their own, on sight. What you don't know is that some soldiers will act more savagely than these terrorists.

"One time, we had to raid this village that was rumoured to be infested by the wildlings. It turned out to be a false report but it was already too late; we already killed anyone who dared to fight back.

"But this one soldier, Gregor Clegane, he had killed the most people. It was while we were fighting, I happened to stumble upon this hut. What I didn't know was that Clegane was already there. He stood over a woman who was carrying a babe against her chest and a kid crying on her lap, begging for their life."

Cat almost couldn't listen anymore but she knows that her husband needs to get it out of his chest.

"Clegane coldly shot the woman and the kid," he said with a shudder, "and then he picked the babe up and slammed him against the wall of the hut, smashing his skull," Ned's breathing turned ragged, "And then Clegane looked at me and I was frozen. I didn't do anything but watch. I did nothing, Cat, and it haunts me until this day because I'm a soldier; I'm supposed to protect the innocent and help the helpless.

"I keep remembering that incident that it managed to creep into my dreams. But in those dreams, I don't see the woman and her children; I see you, crying and begging for Robb and Jon's life. And then Clegane shots you and Jon and then he smashes Robb against the wall," he said, his voice cracking towards the end.

"I was having that dream again this night and when you didn't wake me up, I was afraid. I know it's absurd but I thought.. I thought.." he didn't continue what he was thinking.

Northmen are not known to show their emotions often but tonight, Catelyn can feel hot tears drip onto her chest and then her husband is crying, his body trembling against her. She wrapped her arms around him, mumbling soothing words of comfort.

As Ned cried, she realized that he's not only telling her his fears, but also his failings. He's holding onto her like a drowning man holding on to a log; he's holding her as if she's the one giving him strength. She tightened her hold on him, running her fingers up and down his back and she didn't fall asleep until he did first.

It is true that having a soldier as a husband is hard, but Catelyn would never trade her Ned for anything in the world.


	27. February 27

Catelyn opened the door of her apartment only to be greeted by the face of Ned with a black eye.

"Who gave you that black eye?!" She exclaimed, horrified, as she opened the door wider to let him in. They started dating a few months ago and, for the majority of those months, Ned spent most of his time in her apartment. She made her way to her kitchen to get an ice bag.

He sighed as he flopped down on her couch and Cat joined him, placing the ice bag on his injured eye, "My asshole of a brother," he replied, rubbing his temples.

She froze. Her relationship with Brandon didn't end on friendly terms; she knows that dating his brother is not a really good thing but Ned is kind, peaceful and matured compared to his brother.

"You told them, then," she said, turning back to her work.

Brandon is not the kind of man that sticks to one girl but, still, he tends to get jealous over his exes new partners. That is just the way of him.

"Yeah," he said with a wince.

"And why did he punch you?"

He looked down on his lap before answering, "I was telling him and then he punched me."

He's lying, Catelyn knew, but she didn't press.

"You want me to punch him back for you?" She asked him.

He chuckled and took her other hand, running his thumb across her knuckles, "As much as I want to see that, I don't want your hands to be wounded because of him."

She put the ice bag down and sat on his lap, "How very considerate of you," she said as her finger gently traced the edge of his black eye.

He smiled and took her hand once again, kissing her palm, "I love you, Cat," he said earnestly.

She kissed him, "I love you too, Ned," she mumbled against his lips.

A/N: a little rushed i know i am so sorry


	28. February 28

A/N: inspired by the song 'i have fallen in love with the same woman three times' by jose marie chan. You guys should try to listen to it

 _I have fallen in love_

 _With the same woman three times_

Eddard Stark had fallen in love with Catelyn Tully not only once, not only twice but for three times in his entire life.

 _I loved her first when she was young,_

 _Enchanting and vibrant, eternally new._

Ned met her when he was 22 and she was 21. His brother, Brandon, was dating her that time and had brought her to their home to introduce her to his family.

When he was introduced to her, he stared stupidly at this red-haired, blue-eyed goddess for almost a minute, fumbling for a reply.

"Ned! Meet my girl, Catelyn Tully. Cat, this is my brother, Ned," Brandon had said.

"Hi, Ned" the girl smiled and held out her hand, "I'm Catelyn Tully. You can call me Cat."

He stared uncomprehendingly at her, thinking 'She's so beautiful'.

"Ned?" She asked, looking at him with such blue blue eyes.

(He's positive he's going to drown into the depths of her eyes.)

He snapped out of his reverie and took her hand on his own, "Hi," he said.

(My brother doesn't deserve you.)

She smiled again and pulled her hand away from his grasp, "I'm Catelyn Tully," she repeated.

He smiled back, "Ned. Ned Stark."

That night, though unknowingly, Ned Stark had fallen in love with a certain red-haired, blue-eyed girl with a soft smile and beautiful eyes.

 _I fell in love with her the second time;_

 _When she first bore her child and mine._

Ned sat beside Catelyn, his arms around her as they looked over their first son. They decided to call him Robb and, right now, he was sleeping against his mother's chest. When Ned first saw and held his son, he instantly felt the connection that a father will only feel for his child. He ran a hand over the babe's bright red fuzz of hair and smiled. Even though he's still a little baby, Robb is sure to take after his mother when it comes to looks. He looked at his hand and grimaced slightly. His hand still hurt from being clenched tightly by his wife and he was quite certain that he broke a finger or two.

Brandon had died 4 years ago while driving drunk. Ned and Cat sought solace from one another and they became good friends, with Ned going to her apartment to keep her company or to cook her dinner or to take care of her when she's sick and Cat pretty much does the same for him.

It took him a year to ask her out on a proper date and, by then, he's already hopelessly in love with his dead brother's ex-girlfriend. She readily agreed.

It took him another two years to gather the guts to propose to her and she kissed him and told him how much she loves him.

"You're light years away from here, Ned," she said softly, bringing him back to the present.

He smiled and kissed the top of her head, running his hands on her arms, "Sorry, my love. I'm just remembering the things that led to this."

She looked up at him, "And?" She said with a teasing tone.

He kissed her deeply, drawing her closer to him with an arm around her shoulders, "I'm very lucky and thankful to have you as my wife," he said breathlessly when they pulled away.

She leaned her forehead against his, gazing deeply into his eyes, a tender smile upon her lips, "And I am very lucky and thankful to have you as my husband."

He kissed her again and thought, 'I am the luckiest man in the world'.

 _I fell in love again,_

 _With the same woman the third time_

 _Looming from the battle,_

 _Her courage will never fade._

Ned has been in prison for 7 months now, accused of false treason by the first lady.

The president may be his best friend and Ned may be his vice-president but Robert can not do anything with his case because of the Lannister influence in the Congress and the Court.

The treason case was filed by the first lady herself, Cersei Lannister Baratheon, when he unearthed her secret affair with her own twin brother and the real identity of her children. Ned had tried to tell Robert, but there are whisperers everywhere, spiders that told the first lady about his plans. Cersei had used his refusal to have the Targaryen girl imprisoned as a front for the treason charge.

The trial is still on going and he is still imprisoned in the national prison. Cat visits weekly, sometimes with one of the children, sometimes with the attorney, keeping him updated about his case, about their children.

For the nth time in his life, he marvels at her strength, her courage, to care for their children and to care for him. He wonders if she knows that she gives him the strength to endure his days in this prison.

"Luwin said that a judgment may be given this year, or maybe in the early months of next year," she said in a somewhat eager tone over the telephone, her blue eyes shining.

(He wonders if staying positive is for his benefit, or hers.)

He gave her a small smile, "Then I can't wait for the next trial, Cat."

"He's certain that they'll plead you not guilty," she continued and brushed a few hairs out of her eye.

"Please tell Luwin that I thank him for his wonderful service."

(He wished that they were not separated by this glass, he wished to run his hands on her hair, to kiss her senseless.)

She smiled, albeit sadly, "The children miss you, my love."

He gripped the telephone tighter, "Tell them that I miss them too. All of them," he replied and he wished that she didn't hear the crack in his voice.

She laid her palm flat against the glass and he laid his in front of hers, as if they can touch each other through the glass. His time in the prison had left him weary and tired and he lost more than a few pounds. Even his fingers, which used to be a bit thicker, now appears to be almost as thin as his wife's digits.

"I miss you, Ned," she whispered, her voice cracking slightly and her eyes watering.

Ned swallowed the lump in his throat and blinked a few times to stop his tears from falling, "I miss you too, Cat."

They said nothing more after that. They simply stared at each other, their hands pressed against the glass.

 _Amidst the hardships she has remained,_

 _Undaunted and unafraid._

Two years, he thought bitterly.

Two years he's been gone from his home, away from his wife and his children.

They gave judgment to his case only two weeks ago instead of what they expected to be a year ago. Because of the lack of evidence, he was not guilty of the treason charge.

Catelyn had sat throughout his every trial for two years, a silent guardian behind him, offering a squeeze on the shoulder or a pat on the back. He cannot embrace her, though, because of the handcuffs, but she just smiles and hugs his torso before he is carted away again to prison.

He was escorted by a police all throughout the journey to Winterfell: from the airport at King's Landing, to the plane and to the airport at Winterfell. From there, he's escorted by police of Winterfell, taking a police car to his home.

He was silent for the whole ride, excitement and something akin to anxiety and nervousness coiling in his chest. Two years, he's been gone. Robb has moved out two years ago to study at Riverrun with their cousin, Jon; Sansa is graduating in high school this year; Arya is taking up fencing lessons from some foreigner; Bran had not really recovered from his fall, and can no longer walk, that happened shortly after Ned was jailed; and Rickon has joined the national hockey team. All of this he knows from his wife's constant updates about their children.

Catelyn had insisted that she should come and get him from King's Landing but he refused adamantly. _It will only be a waste of money_ , he argued, _for you to leave Winterfell and go back again._ He wonders about what their children's reaction will be. Will they be excited? Will they be ashamed of having a father who was imprisoned?

His thoughts were interrupted when the car stopped and he noticed that they were outside his home now. He thanked the police, drew a deep breath and got out of the car only to be slammed by his two girls.

"My daughters," he breathed, letting go of the duffel bag that held his meager possessions to hug his daughters close to him. Both of them were sobbing and he marveled at how Sansa had grown almost as tall as him and how Arya looked more like his dearly departed sister, Lyanna.

"We missed you, daddy," Sansa sobbed against his shoulder and Arya nodded her head against his chest. He chuckled. It is not an everyday occurrence for his two girls to agree on anything.

"I missed you, too. The both of you," he said gruffly. They let go of him and he was surprised to see Robb behind them (shouldn't he be at Riverrun?) , grinning from ear to ear, eyes shining, as he hugged his father and behind him was Jon, his nephew.

"Welcome home, Dad," Robb choked out. Ned patted his back and he let go, replaced by Jon.

"Good to have you back here, Uncle Ned," Jon said, a wide smile on his face.

He was followed soon by Rickon, who was all limbs and wild hair, "Daddy!" He yelled and barreled straight to his father, who barely caught his weight.

"You grew up!" Ned said as he ruffled his son's wild red curls.

Bran came last in a wheelchair. He was grinning widely at his father, eyes shining through the eye glasses that he now wore.

"Hi, dad," Bran said and opened his arms, "I would really like to stand and hug you but as you can see..." he trailed off and gestured to his chair.

Ned bent down and enveloped his son in a big hug, "I am so sorry, Bran," he said.

Bran patted his back, "It's okay, dad." Ned let go of Bran and gave him a last pat on the shoulder. He stood up and faced his wife.

Time and the trial had taken its toll, not only for him but also to Catelyn. Her auburn tresses has a few gray hairs standing out and she appeared to have lost weight. There are lines on her face now too: around her eyes and mouth, but Ned only saw the woman that he had fallen in love with, almost 25 years ago.

She smiled and he saw more things that had not changed: her smile, always so beautiful, and her eyes, glimmering like the rivers where she grew up.

He took a step and wrapped her in his arms, the way he wanted to do for the past two years. He held her tightly against him, half-afraid that if he let her go, he will wake up and this is some sort of a dream. She wrapped her arms around his neck, her tears dripping on his shoulder.

"Are you real?" Ned couldn't keep himself from asking against her hair.

She giggled amidst her tears, "Yes, my love. I am real."

He pulled away and kissed her in front of their children. When they both came up for breath, he cupped her face with his hands.

"I love you, Cat," he said, leaning his forehead against hers.

Her smile was soft, the very smile that made him fall in love with her the first time she had graced him with it, and he can feel himself falling in love with her all over again, "I love you, Ned."

 _She is calm and composed,_

 _She is God's lovely maid._

A/N: A little background: this song was inspired by the poem "i have fallen in love" written by benigno aquino jr. for his wife corazon aquino and jose marie chan turned it into a song.

So this is it guys! Thank you to all the people who read and reviewed this story! you guys are the best! I may or may not update this collection in the most random times.


	29. April 12

A/N: a prompt from a friend of mine: one night stand after morning

Catelyn groaned as the sunlight flitting from the window hit her face. She can already feel the pounding headache inside her skull, a result of last night's numerous shots of mixed alcoholic drinks (she lost count after six shots). Why she let Lysa and Cersei talk her to coming into that bar, she'll never figure out. She tightened her arm over her warm pillow and pressed the side of her head against it, her head going up and down as it breathed.

Wait, she thought hazily, pillows aren't supposed to be this warm. Nor this firm. Nor are they supposed to be breathing.

Her eyes snapped open, her brain registering warm skin against her, a strong arm around her shoulders, her head resting on a bare masculine chest which made her head go up and down as he breathed. Cat slowly looked up and she couldn't hold in the gasp that escape her as she gazed at the sleeping face of Ned Stark.

She slowly withdrew her arms around him and gently removed his arm around her so she can sit up. Surprisingly, he didn't wake up and simply laid on his side, facing her. She drew up the sheets over her nakedness, massaging her temples through the hangover that clouded her brain. She remembered going inside the bar with Lysa and Cersei; she remembered seeing her ex with his new girl and his brother, Ned buying her a number of drinks. She remembered kissing him and coaxing him and then stumbling over his apartment and warm lips and tongue against her lips and her skin and...

She can feel her face heat up as she remembered what happened last night. I slept with my ex's brother! Her mind screamed repeatedly. She looked around his room wildly, trying to locate her purse and her hastily discarded clothes scattered around the floor. She was on her feet quickly, picking up her clothes and putting them on in record time.

Cat was about to put on her dress when she heard him stir and she froze.

"Catelyn," he said, his voice still thick with sleep.

She slowly turned to face him, "Hi," she replied, wishing that her face isn't as burning as it felt. She was hoping to leave before he woke up, completely avoiding this awkward 'after morning routine'.

He sat up slowly, leaning back in the headboard, "Hey, uh, did you sleep well?"

She swallowed, her arms dropping to her sides and her dress dangling limply on one hand, "Um, yeah. Great. You?"

"Yeah. Great," he echoed as he dragged a hand down his face. They fell into awkward silence and she let her eyes wander his room. Everything was in order and neat; his desk, his cd rack, his bookshelf. She can't help herself from comparing his room to Brandon's, which resembled more like a warzone than an actual bedroom.

"Catelyn," he said quietly and her eyes snapped back to his, "I'm so sorry," he continued solemnly.

Her eyebrows shot up in surprise that she dropped her dress, "What? What for?"

Now, he looked vaguely uncomfortable, "You were drunk last night and I took advantage of you. I'm so sorry." He said guiltily, looking more solemn than she ever remembered.

She frowned and she sat on the edge of the bed beside him, "I don't think it's your fault, Ned," she paused and intertwined her fingers on her lap, "I did remember seducing you last night, so you can say that it's my fault," she said with a chuckle, hoping to break the tension between them.

He continued to look at her with guilt in his eyes and she sighed.

"Do you regret it?" She asked him.

He looked stunned for a moment but then his expression shifted to one of affection and, if she's not mistaken, desire.

"No. Never," he said seriously.

She smiled, "I don't either."

That seemed to visibly relax him and he smiled tenderly at her. That gave her the courage to bring her hand up and stroke his bearded cheek. He leaned his face against her hand, his smile turning more lazy.

She leaned forward to brush her lips lightly against his. He made some sort of growling sound, making her shiver, and put his hand on the back of her head, pressing her lips against his more firmly. His other hand wrapped around her waist, drawing her to him closely and pressing her flush against him, kissing her slowly. Her hands ran allover his bare back and chest, seeming to never get enough of him. One of his hands went to the clasp of her bra, his fingers toying with it and she fully expects him to remove it but he didn't. He pulled away from her slightly; she whined lowly in her throat and he looked at her questioningly. She nodded slightly and gave him a chaste kiss, standing on the side of the bed to remove her underwear and went to straddle him.

A/N: I did say I'd update this in the most random times, eh?


	30. June 10

Lyanna smiled to herself as she snapped a picture of her brother, Ned, and Catelyn, who were having lunch at a random Chinese restaurant in Chinatown. She gotta have a remembrance of what occured this afternoon at their date.

Well, it's not really a date, she thought to herself somberly with a frown as she stared at the photo on her phone.

The breakup between Catelyn and her eldest brother, Brandon, had not been really a surprise to anyone. But, apparently, it had anticipated by a certain Petyr Baelish and had begun to incessantly call and text and email Catelyn. She never responded, of course, but the fucker had gone too far when he assaulted Catelyn while she was on the way to her apartment one night. She managed to escape just long enough to get inside her apartment and lock herself up.

Unfortunately, Petyr never left and continuously knocked upon her door. Not wanting to make a scene by calling the police, she instead called Ned, who arrived frantically at her door. Lyanna never got the whole story but, apparently, her brother told the creep to "Get the fuck away from his girlfriend or I'll beat you to shit." That made Baelish leave.

(She knows that her brother will never, ever say anything like that to anyone but still, it made the fucker leave.)

In order to keep Petyr away from her, Ned had suggested that they continue the pretense up for her sake. Lya didn't know how he convinced her but he managed; Cat is stubborn as hell but Ned can be convincing when he wants.

The 'dating' has been going on for a few weeks now and even Lya had been pitched in a few dating ideas for the two of them (though she still had a slight grudge that they didn't try the laser tag that she suggested).

And now, she can see them laughing as Catelyn tried to teach Ned on how to use chopsticks. By the looks of it, neither of them are doing successfully.

Ned has a thing for Catelyn for a while now, even before her break up with Brandon. Lya knows because she can see the way he looks at Cat; the way Brandon never looked at her before. She once cornered her brother about when he will ever get around asking Cat out for a real date.

"I will never ask her out, Lya," he replied solemnly.

"But, whyyyy?" She tried to keep the whine out of her voice. She really did.

"Because she's our brother's ex, Lya. Besides, I don't think she'd want to date another Stark after the whole Brandon debacle."

She glared at him that time but now, she can see the way Cat's own eyes light up when she looked at Ned and Lya knows that hope is not lost between the two of them. Besides...

Come on, Lyanna thought to herself with a smirk, I've read enough fan fictions to believe that it will always be this 'fake dating' shit.


	31. June 11

The four elder Stark children and Jon looked at their youngest brother (or cousin, for Jon's part) as he sat on the couch, his knees hugged closely to his chest, swaying slightly in his seat, muttering something under his breath.

Out of the five Stark children, only Arya, Bran and Rickon are left to live with their parents. Robb stays in an apartment in Riverrun, taking his law degree there and to be close to his girlfriend while Sansa lives in King's Landing with her roommate and friend Margaery (though everyone strongly suspects that they're not just friends). The both of them are only visiting for the summer vacation and wants to make the most out of it with their family.

"Should we talk to him?" Sansa asked her silent companions from the dooway of the living room.

Robb and Jon started to laugh and Arya, who was standing between them, elbowed their ribs.

"He looks traumatized," Bran said quietly, looking at Rickon over his glasses.

"I think all of us were traumatized when we saw it," Robb replied with a chuckle.

Sansa was tall enough to bop him over the head, "Come on, Robb. I think it's time we take pity on our baby brother," she said the last part loud enough to be heard by Rickon, knowing full well that he snaps whenever he was referred to as 'baby' ('I'm 14 years old!'). But Sansa didn't even get a nasty glance in her direction. She then crossed the threshold, intending to sit beside him and for the others to take her example. When she was near enough, she finally understood what he had been muttering.

"The dryer. The dryer. The dryer..."

She sighed. Sansa can already guess where it occured. She reached a hand towards his shoulders and sat down beside him, "Rickon?"

He flinched away from her, almost falling off the couch in the process. Their other siblings and Jon seated themselves on the other couches. They remained silent for a few moments.

Robb was the one to speak first, "Hey, Rick," he said and waited for him to look up before continuing, "You okay, bud?"

He shook his head violently, his red, wild curls shaking with the movement. They fell into awkward silence once more before Arya broke it.

"All right, Rickon! Tell us exactly what happened," she exclaimed, standing over him. Rickon looked up at her with a frightened look mixed with embarassment.

Arya's cheeks started to redden but she pressed on, "We have a pretty good idea what you saw, Rick. We've all seen it, we don't like it and we're all traumatized by it at some point," she shrugged, "We would just like... details."

Jon stood, ruffling Arya's hair as he passed and kneeling before Rickon, "Don't listen to her, Rick. She's just a nosy little midg- "

"Mom and dad," Rickon suddenly blurted out, "on top of the dryer."

All of the Starks turned a little green at that. All of them, including Jon, had seen their mom and dad in a ... heated embrace more than once in their lives.

Don't get them wrong; they're happy that they exist and happy that their parents still have a vibrant sex life. The problem is, they usually catch them in the act in a room that they forget to lock.

And, in their defense, they didn't know that they would do it in places where anyone can easily happen by.

Robb and Jon, for instance. They were 13 that time and they needed screwdrivers to fix Robb's bike. It just happens that the screwdrivers were at the garage and they happened upon a scene that left them scarred for weeks and they couldn't look at the hood of the car without blushing crimson.

Sansa was 16 when she saw them going at it on the kitchen counter and she refused to ever prepare her food there again.

Arya was 14 when she caught them in the game room. "Get inside your room, for gods' sake!" She screamed at them that time as her parents scrambled for their hastily discarded clothing.

Bran was 15 when he saw them screwing on one of the plush seats in their library. He warned his siblings and cousin to never, ever sit on that particular seat again.

And now, Rickon...

"I want to get my favorite sweatshirt," he explains, "It was in there because mom washed it. I found them there ... on top of the dryer."

At his repetition, Robb turned a bit red, Jon looked embarassed, Sansa's face almost matched her hair and the tips of Arya's ears turned pink. Only Bran appeared calm but everyone can still see the telltale signs of blush rising up his neck.

The door to the living room opened and Ned and Cat came in, their clothes visibly rumpled and both looking flushed. Rickon's face started to match his hair and he shot up, running past their parents to go up his bedroom. They both looked at his retreating back before turning their attention to the ones who were left.

"Is something wrong with him?" Ned asked.

"Nothing," they chorused.


	32. June 18

A/N: tumblr prompt: Locked out of apartment

Catelyn slumps on the floor outside of her apartment door and she decides that she's going to kill Cersei.

The least she could've done is to leave the keys under the doormat, Catelyn thinks to herself with a frown as she, once again, tried to call her roommate. A part of her knows that it's futile; once Cersei starts drinking, it's impossible for her to notice anything else.

She read Cersei's text again: Going out with Jaime. Don't wait up.

Bitch, I'm going to end up waiting for you because you forgot to leave the goddamn keys!

They recently had the doorknob changed and Catelyn didn't have the time to have the keys duplicated. She left the keys to Cersei that day, since it's her rest day from work and she claimed that she intends to stay at their apartment for the whole day. Cersei had last minutes plans, after all, but she didn't leave the fucking keys for her.

She glared hatefully at the door, as if it's the one at fault and she tries hard not to throw her bag, her shoes, her phone at it. She just had a really long day and all she wants to do now is to sink into a hot bath, sip her wine and watch 30Rock. She leaned her head against the wall and closed her eyes in weariness.

She must've dozed because she didn't hear anyone approaching although she did feel the consecutive taps on her shoulder along with a tentative voice saying, "Catelyn? Cat?"

She jumps a little and was surprised to see Ned Stark from 7D, kneeling beside her and wearing a pair of black sweatshirt and pants.

His brows were furrowed in confusion, "Hey, Cat. Why are you sleeping outside your apartment?"

She can't stop the heavy sigh from escaping her, craning her head a little to the side. Her sleeping position against the wall is not very good, "Because my roommate is an idiot and didn't leave the keys."

"Have you tried calling her?" He asked.

She let out an unladylike snort, "You can't turn Cersei away from her drink even if you're calling to tell her that she forgot one of her kidneys."

He chuckled, his grey eyes lighting with amusement and, although it's not an invitation, she began to babble her stressful day to him.

"This is, literally, the last straw for today. My boss was acting extra bitchy today and piles more work, work, work at my desk and my co-workers won't even pretend to help me with it! Imagine being shouted at by your boss because you only finished half of what is probably a mountain of work on your desk. And Lysa's been blowing up my phone the whole day, wanting to know where Petyr is. I don't even know where he is! And, now, this! This!" She was gesturing her arms wildly in front of her and she knows that she probably looked crazy to him but, for a moment, she doesn't care. She just wants someone to listen to her shitty day.

Ned looked at her with concern for a while, "Do you want to come in my apartment?" He said after a moment. Her eyes widened, stunned, and he blushed, "I mean, don't get me wrong.. it's just that.. I just thought.. I just thought that you didn't have to wait out here, y'know? You can come inside and, um, we can have a drink and watch shitty movies or you can just sleep in the spare room - I have a spare room since my old roommate left - and I can just wake you if Cersei is already back."

Well, that's a tempting offer, "I don't know, Ned. That's asking too much from you, I guess."

"Or," he continued, ignoring her reply, "You can stay out here until Cersei comes back around two or three in the morning. Which is," he pretended to look at his wrist watch, "Oh, six hours from now."

She grimaced, her hand going to the back of her neck and unconciously rubbing a particularly sore spot, "Fine," she almost grumbled, "But we're watching 30Rock."

He grinned and stood, offering his hand to her. She took it while he inserted the key to his door. He held iy open for her and pretended to sweep her a bow, "My lady," he said which caused her to laugh while entering and he closed the door behind them.

A/N: i accept prompts!


	33. June 23

A/N: tumblr prompt: 'my parents are coming in 10 minutes please put some clothes on'

Shake. "Ned! Ned, wake up!"

"Wha-? What time is it? Gods, it's so bright in here!" Turn.

"Ned! Get the up and get dressed! My father and my siblings are coming!"

"Five minutes more..." Cover.

Whack! "Gods, Cat! It's too early for a pillow fight!"

"Sorry, love, but I need to get you moving. My family's only 10 minutes away from here!"

Jump. "WHAT? Why didn't you tell me sooner?!" Fumble with clothes.

"That's what I've been trying to tell you for the past five minutes!"

"Gods, gods I need to brush my teeth." Muffled by shirt.

Car honks outside.

"Where is my bra, Ned?! Did we clean up the mess in the living room?! Did you throw the condom away?!"

"...Shit."


	34. June 27

A/N: tumblr prompt: hair brushing/braiding

"Where did you even learn how to do that?" Cat murmured from her seated position in front of the mirror.

Ned chuckled, his fingers sliding over her smooth, red tresses as he added more hair to the braid that he was making, "Lyanna may be wild but she still prefers her hair out of the way. Since our dad won't let her chop off her hair, she always gets Nan to braid her hair. But you've seen Nan."

"Yeah, she's gotta be a hundred years old."

"That's why she taught us how to braid hair. But Lya's to lazy to listen to Nan drone on so she forced us, boys, to learn how to braid so we can braid her hair and it doesn't get to her face," he finished as he braided the remaining hair down her back, "There. Done," he announced as he put a small hair tie at the end of the braid.

Catelyn turned her head to the side a few times, admiring the perfect French braid that her husband had just finished on her hair. The braid was made evenly, not a hair out of place, and she doesn't feel the braid pulling at her hair.

She looked at her husband through the mirror with an appreciative smile, "This is beautiful, Ned."

He rested his chin on her shoulder and kissed her cheek, "You're always beautiful, Cat, and your hair is beautiful. " he said and she smiled, blushing, and murmured a 'Thank you'.

"Now," he said as he lifted his head from her shoulder and pulled the hair tie, his hands sliding through her hair again to undo the braid he just made, "Fish tail braid?"

"All right. But when Sansa sees it, she'll want that braid on her too," she answered and sighed when he started to brush her hair gently.

He laughed, "And I'll be of valiant service to my laidies."

A/N: i accept prompts!


	35. July 2

A/N: word prompt 'homecoming' I changed the rating guys and there is explicit sexual content.

He had come into their home looking weary from the business trip. Since it's late, neither of them insisted on waking the kids up from their slumber.

"I swear, Cat, if Robert makes me go to a business trip and then leave me to attend his meeting again, I will wring his neck," he said as he began to remove his jacket and tie.

Catelyn moved to help him with his dress shirt, unbuttoning them, "He's your boss, Ned," she started, "and you're his right hand in this company. You should help him when he needs it. Besides, he is your bestfriend," she reminded him as she removed his shirt. He shrugged them off and he removed his slacks, putting them in a chair.

Looking at her husband, wearing only his boxers, she felt the stirrings of desire rise in her. He'd been gone for almost a month and she missed him terribly. But she immediately tamped the feeling down. He's tired, she admonished herself.

Cat frowned when she noticed Ned rubbing a particular spot on his shoulder, "Does it hurt?" She asked, her arousal forgotten momentarily. She reached up and put slight pressure on the spot. Her hand travelled further down his back, feeling the knots that seemed to have scattered there.

She gave his back a slight shove, "Lie down, love," indicating to the bed and he nodded, lying on the bed on his stomach with his head resting on his arms. She straddled his hips and sat on his backside, her fingers probing his back and starting to massage a particularly tight knot on his left shoulder.

He moaned in response, "God, Cat. That feels so good..."

She leaned down and pressed a kiss on the shell of his ear, "Consider it a reward for tolerating Robert and for being so hardworking," she whispered, smiling when she felt a shudder run through him. She sat back up and started massaging his back again. They were silent after that, except for the occasional moans and grunts of pleasure coming from Ned.

After a few more minutes of massaging his shoulders and back, she ran her hands over his back again, trying to feel of there is any more she missed, satisfied to feel none.

"Okay Mr. Stark, it is done," she announced.

He opened his eyes slowly, as if he's been dozing, and flopped on his back, smiling up at her, "That was amazing, my love," he said in a daze, his hands running up and down her thighs.

She smiled and moved to stand but his hands went to her hips and held her still. She looked down at him questioningly and he appeared to be contemplating something.

"But, Mrs. Stark, I think I owe you one," he said, and she tried to ignore the hungry look that had overtaken his expression. His hands began to travel up her breasts and stroke her nipples through her thin nightgown.

"Ned, you're tired," she answered though his ministrations left her aching between her legs.

He made a noncommital sound, "Your treatment made me feel energized, Cat," he replied and, with a grin comparable to a wolf, he flipped them, trapping her between the bed and his solid bulk.

She gave in to the desire she has and kissed him, hard, her tongue darting between her lips and into his. He groaned low in his throat and met her kiss; his tongue caressing hers, running over the tender inside of her lower lip, over every crevisce of her mouth and then just simply fought her tongue in a battle of dominance. His bearded cheek feels rough against hers and how she missed it, how she missed him.

"I missed you so much, Cat," Ned growled between kisses and he nipped her lower lip, his large, callused hands roaming her body.

"I missed you too," she said breathlessly, one hand stroking the hair on his nape and the other palming his cock through his boxers, neither surprised nor displeased to feel hin alreadt hard, before going back to kiss him.

Their lips separated with a smack and she gave a low whine when he pulled away, which swiftly turned into a moan when he started placing wet, open mouthed kisses on the column of her neck. He sucked and bit, nipping a particular sensitive spot on her neck. She's sure that he's going to leave marks but, at the moment, she doesn't care.

His hands found the hem of her nightgown and she raised her hips, then her shoulders, slightly off the bed so he can remove it. Her breathing had turned erratic when Ned began to rain kisses on her chest, on the valley of her breasts but never on her nipples.

She moaned in frustration, "Ned," she whined, "Ned, please."

He chuckled and finally put his mouth on her nipple, sucking one and fondling the other. She moaned and buried her hands in his hair, her sounds spurring him on. His free hand went under her panties and touched her dripping cunt, his finger lightly tracing her clit.

He chuckled again, "My, my Catelyn. Enjoying yourself?" He said around her breast and then resumed his task.

Her laughther was breathless, "Could you tell?" She panted.

His kisses trailed lower, his tongue tracing her stomach, the stretch marks on her belly, her hip bones and dipped in her navel. She squirmed, trying to get him where she needs him and he pulled her soaking panties down her long legs. He knelt in front of her and leaned down, placing open mouthed kisses on the inside of her thigh but that is not where she wants him.

"Ned," she pleaded, "Ned, please. Stop teasing me."

He huffed a laugh, his breath gusting over her wet folds, making her shudder and moan. He must've taken pity on her and finally relented, burying his face between her legs and his tongue circling her clit.

"Ned!" She exclaimed, getting lost in the pleasure as her hands gripped his hair once more, her body trembling. She learned long ago that he enjoyed doing this to her as much as she enjoyed him doing it for him.

He put her legs over his shoulders, her heels dragging across his back. His hand joined his lips and tongue and he fucked her with his finger, his lips sucking her clit. Cat couldn't help the small scream from escaping her mouth as she climaxed, her body shuddering, her hands tightening on his hair and her body arching off the bed.

Ned sat up and kissed her, giving her a taste of herself. She had just caught her breath when she flipped them, putting him underneath her again.

Ned grinned, the same wolfish grin that he showed her earlier, "I think this is what I will consider as my reward," he said as he ran his hands over her thighs. She stood at thd foot of the bed for a moment to remove his boxers.

She went back up and straddled him again as she grinned. She leaned down, placing kisses across his collarbones and gave him marks of her own. He sighed and ran his fingers on her hair, placing a kiss on the top of her head. Her mouth went lower, placing kisses on the plane of his chest and stomach, her lips brushing the tip of his cock when she reached his belly.

Her hands held his hips, thumbs stroking the bone as his breathing turned ragged. Cat looked at him, a wicked gleam in her eyes, as she placed light, teasing kisses over the head of his cock and down the length of him.

"Cat.." he breathed, his hands going to her hair, throwing his head back. She licked his cock from the base up to the tip and one of her hands went to his balls. His hips bucked involuntarily.

"Cat," he growled this time, a hint of warning in his voice. She giggled, releasing his balls and taking hold of him. His breath hitched when her pink lips wrapped around his tip, her tongue running over the sensitive underside of his cock.

His hand tightened on her hair, "Oh, Cat!" He grunted.

She sucked him hard inside her mouth, bobbing her head as she took him down her throat, his hips bucking underneath her. Catelyn looked up at him through dark lashes and she decides that she will never get tired of the beautiful sight of her husband getting lost to his pleasure: his hand tight on her hair, her name falling from his lips amid encouragements and endearments, his mouth coming unhinged and his eyes looking directly at her with a mixture of lust, awe and love.

"Catelyn, come here, please, sit on me, fuck me, please, love," he babbled, his hands going to her shoulders and pulling her up. She didn't even hesitate to sit up and straddle him, her hand on his cock to guide their joining.

Both moaned at the feel of him being fully sheathed inside her. She put her hands on his chest for balance and slowly rocked up and down his cock. She threw her head back and cried out wordlessly, loving the way she was filled by him. She missed him so much, so damn much.

He sat up, wrapping his arms around her and drawing her nipple in his mouth, licking and sucking and nipping. Ned captured her lips in a heated kiss, his tongue plunging wildly into her mouth, which Cat returned eagerly, and he grunted and moaned against her lips.

Cat wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling away from the kiss and leaning her forehead against his, looking deeply into his grey eyes. How she loves her husband. She doesn't even have the words to describe how much she loves Ned. And, looking into the eyes of her loving husband, she knows that he feels the same.

"I love you," she panted as his hand went between their bodies and his finger circled her clit.

He kissed her again, chaste yet not lacking in passion, "I love you."

It was too much for her that she pulled away, throwing her head back to cry out his name as she climaxed, her body jerking involuntarily. He leaned his forehead against her collarbone and followed soon after her, her name on his lips.

He fell back on the bed, bringing her with him, and he nuzzled her hair, running his hands up and down her back. She sighed contentedly, feeling sated and tired at the same time, as her fingers drew invisible circles on his chest as she settled against him. The sound of his slowing heartbet beneath her ear lulling her to sleep. She felt herself dozing, her lids getting heavier at every passing second and, before sleep could take her, she said one last thing.

"I love you, Ned," she murmured sleepily, eyes already closed.

She doesn't need to look at him to know that he's smiling when he replied, "And I love you, Cat."

Before she can fully sleep, she heard him mutter, "Best homecoming."


	36. July 11

A/N: tumblr prompt: arranged marriage

It should've been Brandon. Handsome, charming, Brandon.

But Brandon Stark is dead. Instead, it was his brother, Eddard Stark. Solemn, silent Eddard Stark.

Catelyn still needs to do this. They need Stark Enterprises' help. For the sake of their sinking company. For Lysa and Edmure and her sick father.

She doesn't know who this solemn-faced Northman is except for the fact that their company's salvation rests in her marrying him. And she will do it; because she's a Tully and she always did her duty.

A/N: i just noticed the date and its the birthday of the one and only MICHELLE FAIRLEY! ugh, i wish id look as hot as her when i turn 55


	37. July 12

A/N: tumblr prompt: 'my roommate's boyfriend is staying over so can i please sleep on your floor'

Catelyn cursed the thin walls of their apartment and Robert and Cersei's inability to stay quiet.

She snatches her pillow and comforter angrily, along with her phone and earphones before storming out of her room. The living room couch is not an option; if the sound can be heard from her room, it seems that it was amplified in the living room and she muffles a shout of frustration against her pillow. All she wants to do is sleep. Is that too mich to ask?

Unbidden, the image of Ned Stark's kind smile flashes through her mind and she's out of the door before she can fully think about it. She climbed up two flights of stairs to the 10th floor and walked towards the unit B. Knocking was a bit diffucult with her arms full but she managed four decent knocks on his door.

Ned opened the door almost immediately and he took stock of her, standing in front of his door with a pillow and her comforter, a scowl upon her beautiful face. It's not the first time she came to his apartment when Robert comes over to the shared apartment she has with Cersei.

"Rough night?" He asked as he opened the door wider for her to enter.

She huffed and crossed the threshold, landing heavily on his couch, "Robert is with Cersei," she answered shortly. His TV's on and he's watching Civil War on pause, probably when he opened the door for her.

Understanding came over his face, "Ah. Too loud?"

Cat barked a short laugh, "I'm surprised that it can't be heard all the way up here. Cersei's too.. competitive tonight."

Ned chuckled, grey eyes lighting with mirth, "And, knowing Robert.." he trailed off.

"His voice is like a thunder over Cersei's shrieks," she finished for him.

He walked up to her, taking her pillow and comforter to the spare bedroom he has and sitting down beside her when he got back.

"I owe you one again," Cat said, voice brimming with gratitude.

"You know how you can repay it," he said with a grin.

She laughed, "Fine, fine! Home-made doughnut holes, caramel-filled," she said. Ned pressed the remote and the movie started again, with Steve Rogers trying to stop a helicopter, driven by a brain-washed James Barnes.

A comfortable silence fell over them and the only sound was the one from the movie. Cat remembered the screams of triumph and shouts of frustration and moans of defeat that she heard from the bedroom next to her and she couldn't help herself from wondering outloud...

"What is it with Mario-Kart, anyway?"


	38. July 20

A/N: prompt 'how dare you?'

"How dare you?" She said quietly, eyes hard, but he heard the barely controlled anger and grief in her voice as she stood over him.

Ned looked up at her, hands clasped in front of him and elbows resting on his kness, "Cat, please.." he pleaded, reaching out to touch her.

She stepped back, away from his reach, "How dare you?" She said again, her voice rising, sounding more shrill in his ear.

"Catelyn, Jon is my blood," he replied, "Please, love, please understand."

Her eyes shone with tears, "You lied to me," she started quietly again but her voice had increased with every word that followed, "For seventeen years, you've lied to me. You've lied to him. You made him a bastard, your bastard, and now you tell me that that wasn't the case?! That, for all these years, you let me believe that I was not good enough of a wife because you brought home a kid after being married to me for barely a year?! How dare you call me with an endearment after lying to me for seventeen years?! How dare you?!" Catelyn shrieked at him, letting her anger burst and be heard by anyone who dares to listen. There was a frantic knocking on their bedroom door and the panicked voice of Robb, wanting to know what's happenning.

He knelt in front of her and hugged her waist, burying his face on her stomach, "Cat, please, understand why I did that. Jon will be in danger if anyone figures out who his father is. Please, Cat, forgive me. I love you," he pleaded, voice slightly muffled.

She withdrew his arms from around her forcefully and walked to the door. Before she opened it, she turned back to face him, "How dare you say that you love me when, all these years, you obviously had no trust in me?" She said quietly, her tears leaking out of her eyes in earnest. She looked at him for a moment before she walked out, leaving behind her husband and their children's questions.

A/N: a little rushed and just an unorganized drabble that i typed. so sorry guys _v

Anyway, anyone here who wants to have a qa? i'll answer them.

Also, I accept prompts!!


	39. July 24

A/N: tumblr prompt: soulmate AU

The night Eddard Stark turned 18, a name appeared on his left wrist.

Everyone gets their soulmate's name imprinted magically on their skin once they turn 18, though some people don't get their soulmate's name. It could be on a place easily seen by most people or somewhere hidden by clothes.

He was not exactly waiting for it to come, had expected that he will not get any name imprinted on him. He was sleeping when it appeared, when he felt a tingling sensation on his left wrist. He ignored it and went back to sleeping.

The next morning, he immediately saw it. The name on the inside of his left wrist, right above his pulse point. He traced the elegant, cursive written name with his index finger.

'cat'

Robert had japed that, with a face as solemn and serious as his, it probably meant that he's destined to be alone with a bunch of cats as company. But Ned is determined to find who this 'cat' is.

Catelyn's tattoo appeared late.

She turned 18 a few months ago but, still, no name had appeared anywhere on her skin. She sighed and thought about the taunts she will hear from her younger sister again. Lysa's only 16 but she fully expects her soulmate's name to appear on her at her exact 18th birthday. She teases Catelyn restlessly that, since there's no name on her skin yet, she will not have a soulmate and that Catelyn will die alone.

Cat merely laughs everytime her immature sister talks like that but, secretly, she's worried that Lysa might be right.

That morning, exactly three months after her birthday, she again checked if there's a name appearing anywhere and sighed when she found none. She started to get herself ready for school, putting on her clothes, putting light make up on her face. When she was about to put her wristwatch, she saw something dark blooming on the inside of her left wrist. She watched, mesmerized, as the ink started to form letters in an elegant, cursive writing of an invisible hand. Her wrist was still tingling when the writing stopped and she read the name. It was a short name, three letters.

'ned'

A/N: so im leaving this rather open ended please dont kill me


	40. September 13

A/N: prompt 'strangers sharing an umbrella in a rain storm'. well, close enough :)

Ned cursed his luck for leaving his umbrella in what must be a raging typhoon, leaving him drenched to the bone. Really, this rain just couldn't wait for him to be back at his apartment.

The past few days had been sunny enough and, when he left for work this morning, it looked like it's going to be the same. So he opted to leave his umbrella and go on his way.

Boy, was he wrong.

It had started to drizzle when he was about to leave the office. Thinking nothing of it, he didn't ask anyone of his workmates for a ride or for an extra umbrella. But, when he was halfway to his apartment, the drizzle turned to a blown out rain storm that he was forced to wait it out in a waiting shed, hair and clothes dripping.

To his even further luck, the rain doesn't seem to want to stop, even intensifying more. He tried to hail a cab, to no avail. He tried book for an Über but his phone had died out on him when he was about to book one. He cursed every gods that were listening for granting him such misfortune today.

He stood in the shed, trying wring out his jacket when a sudden gust of wind and rain blew his way, drenching it all over again. Ned growled angrily and threw it over his shoulder instead, and removing his tie and shoving it inside his shoulder bag. He ran a hand over his face in frustration and ran his hand on his long hair and started considering to just make a run for it. He was already drenched anyway, so what's the point of waiting it out?

He was just about to leave when a cab passed by him, and then sputtered and completely stopped. It was sat idle on the side for a couple of minutes that Ned started thinking about hailing it when a woman with auburn hair got out of the cab and ran towards the shed. Her bag was up over her head and she almost ran into him when she was near the shed then stood beside him. The cab stayed where it was and Ned guessed that it was in need of repair or something. Once under the safety of the shed, she started rummaging inside her bag, obviously looking for something. In her concentration, she bumped into him a few times.

"I'm sorry!" She exclaimed when she bumped him again for the third time, "I just need to.." she's still not looking at him, still fumbling inside her bag and searching for something. She took out a foldable umbrella from her bag and smiled triumphantly. She finally looked at him and he had to supress a gasp when he gazed upon the bluest eyes he had ever seen.

"Found it!" She said, holding it up for him to see, "Sorry about bumping you. My cab stopped and I had to run for shelter," she stopped speaking and fully stared at him, taking stock of his drenched appearance before speaking again, "Jeez, you got caught in the rain?"

Lost for words, he merely nodded his head and absently ran his fingers through his hair. Gods, he meets a woman as beautiful as her and he just had to look like a wet, bedraggled racoon. He internally wept.

She looked at him curiously and then her eyes brightened in recognition, "Hey! I know you!" She suddenly exclaimed and his eyebrows scruched in confusion. Oblivious to his confusion, she continued, "You were that guy from my apartment building!" He just moved in a couple of weeks ago and hadn't had the chance to get to know any of his neighbors yet. How come he never noticed her?

"You're working in a law firm, right? The one who works for that great attorney. What was his name again? Jon.. Jon.."

"Arryn," he supplied.

Her smile widened, "Yeah, yeah. That one," she looked down for a moment and held out her hand in front of him, "I'm Catelyn Tully."

Her last name sounds vaguely familiar, like the surname of that senator of Riverrun, he thinks as he grasped her small hand in his. For all three seconds that he held it, Ned felt her long fingers, her warm hand and her soft, smooth palm and knows he's a goner.

"Ned," he finally said, "Ned Stark."

She smiled and dropped her arm and he immediately missed her hand in his. She looked at their surrounding, a slight frown forming on her face.

"You don't think this rain is gonna stop, do you?" Catelyn asked and looked back at him.

He smiled ruefully, "I don't think so. I was actually thinking of making a run for it. I'm already wet anyway."

She looked thoughtfully at her umbrella and he thought she was actually going to get on her way, so imagine his surprise when she said, "Well, could share my umbrella."

He blinked, not expecting the suggestion, "I'm sorry?"

Her face was set in a concerned frown when she spoke, "You could get sick if you get wet further, and I do think we could fit in my umbrella."

He thought for it in a moment. He does want to get back to his apartment; take a hot shower, watch crappy horror movies and basically do nothing for the rest of the night. Basically, it was a tempting offer.

"Okay," he said slowly and she smiled and he felt warmth spread somewhere from his chest to his toes and he's _definitely_ a goner now.

"Okay," Catelyn replied and started to open her umbrella.

"No," he said and her eyes snapped back at him, looking bewildered for moment.

Ned cleared his throat, "I mean.. I mean I should hold this," he said as he took her umbrella, his finger brushing hers.

Ned opened it and started having second thoughts. It does look like it can't accomodate the two of them but Catelyn solved his internal dilemma by stepping close to him and hooking his arm with hers, pulling him closer to her. She was almost pressed against his side and he could feel her warmth through her clothes. Normally, he would flinch because he likes to keep his personal space but he welcomed it, liking the way she seemed to fit against his side. Catelyn smiled at him for a moment before gesturing for him to lead the way.

In the end, the lower half of their clothes still got wet from the rain but Ned thinks it was all worth it and he thanked the gods incessantly for that thunderstorm.

A/N: i would like to start off by saying that i aM INCREDIBLY SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING SOONER. i got caught up with adulting stuff and had a hard time trying to update. just keep the prompts going but i confess it may take a while for me to write.


	41. July 5

A/N: I got caught up in adulting stuff but im back so yey!

Cat has always had a sweet tooth but it somehow gets worse when she's pregnant. Lemon cakes, chocolates, candies; if it's sweet, she wants it. Ned actually found it amusing and exasperating to watch his wife's eyes fill with childlike excitement every time he brings home sweets especially for her.

So, it was no surprise for him that, when they were shopping for a new crib for their coming baby, her eyes immediately saw the candy store.

She began pulling his hand towards the direction of the candy store, her eyes alight with excitement, "Ned, look! It's a candy store! Let's come in, hurry!"

"Cat, slow down." he drawled. They had just finished her check up with her OB-Gyne and the good doctor had warned her about her rising blood sugar and to lessen her intakes of sweet. Apparently, she already forgot. She paid him no mind and continued to pull him towards the store.

"Catelyn, stop." he said firmly, putting his hands on her shoulders firmly and making her face him.

She looked at him impatiently, "Ned, what is it? Can it wait later?"

He squeezed her shoulders lightly, keeping her in place, "My love, have you forgotten what Doctor Luwin said about your sugar intake?"

She pouted, "Come on, my love, please? I forgot my wallet at home and I really want those candies. Look! They have MM towers!"

Ned sighed and made himself look firm in his decision, "No."

She raised an eyebrow, "No?" she replied, dragging the word until it has three syllables.

"No." he repeated, his voice unwavering.

Catelyn looked at him thoughtfully for a moment before she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him firmly on the mouth.

He starts. PDA is not their thing, so it was a shock that she would choose to do so in a crowded mall, where children can easily happen by and see them. His wife doesn't seem to care, though, for she wrapped her arms around his neck to draw him closer. Ned, eventually, melts into her kiss and places his hands upon her hips as Catelyn's hands began running up and down his back. He thought nothing of it, his own hands going up and resting upon her cheeks, that he didn't notice that her hands had crept past his belt and into the back pocket of his jeans where he kept his wallet.

She pulled away so suddenly that he actually followed her lips for a second. Catelyn ran backwards and waved the wallet on his direction, though he can see the red tainting her cheeks down to her neck.

"Got it!" she exclaimed and made a dash towards the store. Ned stared at his wife's retreating back and sighed in exasperation.


	42. July 18

A/N: prompt "went to a con/party as a couple"

Having Robert as a flat mate came with pros. This is not one of them.

Ned should've said no. He could've said no. But he took it himself long ago to keep Robert out of trouble – so when Robert knocked on his door and promptly dumped an orange shirt, a pair of khaki shorts and a beaded necklace, he just sighed and put the outfit on. Although he drew the line at the green contact lenses.

Their Office is holding a costume party and Ned already knows which one they're going to be. Robert as Poseidon and Ned as Percy Jackson. He's a big nerd like that.

When they arrived, they immediately spotted Cersei, dressed as Athena, complete with shield, cloak and sword, and Catelyn, dressed in a shirt similar with his and a blonde wig upon her head. His heart leapt to his throat. She came as Annabeth Chase. Robert literally swept Cersei away and left them alone, standing awkwardly.

"So, I'll just leave.." he started to say the same time Catelyn spoke, "Would you like to get something to drink?"

They laughed at the same time and he thought that her laugh sounds like music to his ears.

Later, after several glasses of wine, he would tell her that he liked it better when her hair is auburn and see her blue (blue as the river, blue as the summer skies), blue eyes soften.

(The next morning, he would blame the alcohol for making him confess something like that to his biggest crush.)


End file.
